Help From another World
by pjcrazy
Summary: It has been a week since the Battle of Manhattan. But the heroes are still needed as much as ever. When Percy and his friends walk into a magic portal in response to a call for help, two worlds will collide. Middle Earth is in for a shock.
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys, this is my first fic I've ever written. Please review and tell me what you think of it. I am really grateful that you took the time to come and read my first attempt at a story. All reviews are accepted, even flames. I will consider flames as constructive criticism and try to correct my writing. That said, I certainly hope you enjoy the story. I enjoyed writing it.

Disclaimer- All characters and places mentioned in the story are not mine. They belong to the geniuses Rick Riordan and John Ronald Reuel Tolkien.

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Prologue 1.

Isengard

Gandalf raised his staff. An invisible force of energy slammed into Saruman, pushing him back. Saruman had a mad glint in his eyes. He growled and thrust his staff back at Gandalf. Another wave of energy collided with him, throwing him onto the smooth marble floor. Every bone in Gandalf's body flared with pain. _I'm too old for this…_

He couldn't believe it. Saruman the White, greatest and wisest of the Istar, the leader of their order, and his friend had betrayed them. His mad words echoed in his head:" We cannot defeat Sauron, there is only one way, we must join with him." To which he had replied angrily "When did Saruman the White exchange wisdom for madness?"

A battle for superiority had ensued. Gandalf was strong, but Saruman was the leader of the White Council, and the strongest of the Istar. Slowly, Saruman had gained the upper hand. Gandalf felt himself weakening. Saruman stalked closer to him, a tall figure in a flowing white robe, a white staff pointed directly at him. Saruman fired a bolt of white energy at him. Gandalf deflected it with his staff, but his distraction had cost him. Saruman hit him over the head with his white staff, and snatched his gnarled, twisted staff.

Gandalf was now utterly helpless, his own staff turned against him. Saruman pointed both staffs at him, and he was pinned down by the force. Saruman had an evil glint in his eye, and he slammed Gandalf repeatedly into the walls and the floor. Gandalf groaned in excruciating pain. The pain was too much. He couldn't fight his own staff along with Saruman.

"I offered you a choice" growled Saruman, slamming Gandalf into the wall. Gandalf gasped in pain as his ribs collided with the wall. "But you have elected the way of…pain!" Each word was emphasized with Gandalf slamming into something or other. Saruman raised both staffs, and Gandalf felt himself rising against his will. He flew higher and higher, until he was at the very top of Saruman's tower, Orthanc.

He had been defeated. He was a prisoner now.

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Gandalf lay on the top of Orthanc. An old, hunched figure, dressed in tattered robes of grey, defeated. He sat up slowly; even this movement caused pain to flare up. He gave a long, tired sigh. There had been a ferocious battle between the two wizards, Gandalf had fought hard, but he was an old man, and he was weary. Saruman had wrested his staff, thrown him against the wall and floors violently, and had now sent him flying to the top of his tower.

His thoughts turned to Frodo, young innocent Frodo. "Already he has sent out the Nine. They will find the Ringbearer, and kill him." Saruman had confirmed his worst fear. Even now, Frodo had probably set out for Bree, just as he had told him too, expecting to find him at the inn. Gandalf groaned with real fear for his dear friend. His only hope was that Aragorn would meet them and protect them, for he was now helpless, with no way of escaping this cursed tower. Looking down, he could already see fires around Isengard, forges where thousands of orcs worked, making new weapons for the Uruk-Hai, a new and dangerous breed of orc which Saruman had made. There was truly no escape from here.

Suddenly, he sensed the presence of something else, something pure, innocent, untainted by the evil here. A moth fluttered past. An idea hit him. He caught the moth and held it in the hollow of his hand, and spoke to it, an appeal in the language everything understands. A simple word:"Help". He released the moth, and it fluttered away, towards the direction of the Misty Mountains. A small piece of hope flared within him. Someone will hear, someone will come. The old man settled down for a long wait.


	2. Chapter 2

And the second prologue is here. Gandalf has made his plea, but the eagle isn't the only one who heard. How do you like this? Please review! Even Flame if you want to, I just want to know people are reading this.

Disclaimer-The Lord of the Rings and Percy Jackson belong to Rick Riordan and J.R.R. Tolkien.

Prologue 2

Valinor

Manwe, leader of the Vala, sat in his throne room, watching the events in Middle Earth. He sighed, things were happening, bad things. Their old enemy Sauron had risen again, and was now searching for the One Ring. Hope rested with the leaders of the edge. Already Lorien had sent a vision to the sons of the steward of Gondor, asking them to meet at Imlamdris, and the dwarves and the elves had also sent emmisaries. But he knew, deep in his heart, that it would not be enough. Then a cry, a desperate cry of help reached his ears. Gandalf. He saw, as if in a vision, Gandalf stranded on the top of the wizard Saruman's tower. He sighed. Things were not going well. He rose to his feet."Varda? summon the other Vala for a council." His beautiful wife, Queen of the Stars, nodded and left the room.

Hours later, the rest of the Vala came. Ulmo, lord of the waters, second only to him, Aule, maker of the Dwarves, Mandos, Lord of the Dead and Lorien, Master of visions and dreams. For the women, Varda, his wife, Yavanna, Queen of the earth and spouse of Aule, Nienna the Lady of Mercy, Este the gentle, and Vana, Queen of the flowers and ever-young. They sat in a circle.

"Why have you called us here, Manwe?" asked Ulmo. "Why summon us to Valinor?"

"My Friends," Manwe spoke in a quiet yet commanding voice. " Middle Earth is in peril." The other Vala started speaking at once, and there was a long period of noise. "Quiet!" commanded Varda." Listen to what he has to say." The others quieted down respectfully. Manwe then proceeded to tell them his observations, starting with the defeat of Melkor and his servant Sauron from the early years of Middle Earth, continuing with the forging of the One Ring, the first defeat of Sauron and ending with his second rise to power. Finally, he shared a memory of Gandalf's plea. "Help". The simplicity of the word, yet with a powerful desperation touched them all and set Nienna to tears. The decision was unanimous."We will send help." Intoned Manwe.

"That's all well and good," Mandos spoke, "but from where will this help come from? The Istar are divided and weak. The Numenoreans are a doomed race. The elves have started to abandon Middle Earth and sail for the Grey Havens. The dwarves have retreated into their mountain caves. From where will we ask for help? You know the Vala are forbidden by Iluvatar to intervene directly." Lorien spoke, a thoughtful look on his face:" Brothers, help cannot be found on Middle Earth, it is true, but what about other worlds?"

"Other Worlds? There are no other worlds." Scoffed Aule. Yavanna took his hand, quieting him."What is this talk of other worlds, Lorien?" Iluvatar made Middle Earth and Valinor, nothing else." Manwe suddenly spoke, "other worlds, other worlds… I have heard of these other worlds…" "Aye" agreed Lorien. " In dreams and visions, I have seen another world. One with other deities and great heroes as well. Heroes with great power. It is called "Earth". "Earth?" asked Ulmo. " Yes, earth. A land not unlike ours, but with great magic." Answered Manwe. "Iron birds that carry people in the air, Iron carriages that need no horses, buildings that reach out to the sky, tubes that can kill with a sound." "Impossible!" scoffed Aule. "these things cannot exist. You have confused dreams for visions."

Lorien stood. There was no anger in his face, but there was fire in his eyes."I speak the truth." He said it with such conviction that nobody doubted him anymore. "Well, why not try to contact the leaders of this "earth" and ask for help?" asked Varda. Manwe nodded solemnly." All in favor, rise." As one, the entire council rose. "Excellent. Lorien, contact them."

Olympus. Two days later.

"You Cannot Do This!" Shouted Poseidon, grabbing Zeus. "This is my son, My Son you are offering! He just survived the war, Percy defeated Kronos! You cannot just send him to another world to fight another war!" Zeus shook him off and glared at him. Athena intervened before anymore violence could happen. " Father, Poseidon is right. Our children have just gone through a war. They deserve a rest." A edge of steel entered her voice, " And, this is also my daughter. I will not stand seeing her in more danger. Besides, what about your own daughter? And Hades' son? You cannot just agree to put our children in more danger just because some other god asks for assistance. Artemis added " Yes father, besides, Thalia has become my lieutenant. I need her here to help with the hunt." Hades also decided to join in " Yes, brother. You have no right to send him off to another world just like that. How do we even know that this isn't a trap for our children?"

The five Olympians argued back and forth in the throne room. Zeus had received a vision the night before, from a god who claimed to be from another world, asking for help. In a fit of pride at being asked, Zeus had immediately agreed and volunteered four of the best demigod heroes. Now, his immortal family was really letting him have it. Poseidon raged constantly, Artemis pleaded, Athena reasoned and Hades ventured the occasional scathing comment. Zeus was deaf to all of them. "It is a great honor! And they'll be safe, don't worry. Though I hate to admit it, they are not called the strongest demigods for nothing. I have made my decision. I will not be shaken." With that, he left the room.

The remaining four gods looked despairingly at each other. "We have to warn them."said Poseidon grimly. I will not let that idiot of my brother put my son in more danger. Athena agreed," yes. Father has indeed gone to far." Hades was already walking out the door to look for Nico. The four demigods in question had decided to take a picnic in Central Park to celebrate their victory over Kronos, and that was where all four gods were headed. Unfortunately, by the time they reached Central Park, they were too late. Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Nico Di Angelo and Thalia Grace were gone. Vanished off the face of the earth.

By the way, I'm Malaysian, so my English might not be as good. I tend to mix u.k and u.s please don't kill me.

PJCrazy signing out.

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	3. The Arrival

Hey guys. Chapter 3 is here! First things first. I need to apologize for my words in chapter 2 where I demanded some reviews. I admit I was very rash in that sentence. From now on, I will write because of my love of writing, not because of reviews.

Anyway, I really need to thank Shadowz101 and Animeicefox for their input and corrections. Thanks guys, I really owe you. Your suggestions will be included in the chapter.

Also, thank you to all the people who have followed my story or added me to their favorite story list. I'm really touched.

Lastly, I wish to thank all my readers who have viewed this story. Thanks for taking the time to browse through. I apologize for the horrendous speech grouping but I promise it will improve.

Disclaimer- both worlds, places and characters do not belong to me.

Chapter 1.

Central Park

Percy.

Percy Jackson walked through the park, picnic basket in one hand, Annabeth's hand in the other. It was a great day. Blue, cloudless skies, sunshine, birds in the air, a slight breeze blowing through the park, and of course the fact that he was with his best friends. The Battle of Manhattan had only happened two weeks ago, and New York was still rebuilding itself. It had been amusing, watching the news and the poor mortals trying to figure out many things, like the freak storms across the country (Typhon), the ever-present goldish dust underfoot (monster dust), how a giant maple tree seemed to have grown in just a few days near the park (Hyperion) and just how the statues of New York seemed to have gone rogue. There were still a few reports of automatons walking around, though Annabeth insisted that they had all been deactivated. Still, Central Park was relatively unspoiled, and Percy was just happy to be able to hang out with his friends like normal teenagers.

A squeeze on his hand brought him back to reality. "What is it Seaweed Brain? You looked like you were a million miles away."

Percy grinned at the girl walking beside him. Gods, Annabeth was beautiful. She obviously wasn't trying to look gorgeous, she simply was. As a daughter of Athena, she didn't believe in wearing makeup or trying to look good like most of the Aphrodite girls, but the truth was she looked like a goddess, and he had seen real goddesses. She was the best girlfriend anyone could wish for, beautiful and smart. Did he mention that she was the official Architect of Olympus? Yeah, Annabeth was awesome.

"Nothing, just marveling at you, Wise Girl." He laughed. "Besides, I'm barely a few inches from you."

Annabeth scowled playfully at him. "Very funny Seaweed Brain."

"You know you love me Wise Girl."

"Unfortunately, I do, Seaweed Brain." She smiled, leaning in for a kiss.

"Get a room, Kelp Face!" hollered a certain Hunter of Artemis walking behind them, causing Nico to snigger.

Percy stuck out his tongue at them. "I didn't ask you to tag along!" He had almost forgotten them. He had initially only asked Annabeth for the picnic, but he had met Corpse Breath and Pinecone Face along the way, and they had decided to invite themselves. Not that he cared, while a chance to be alone with Annabeth would have been nice, he was happy to be with his cousins.

"Yeah well I'm hungry!" that was Nico, son of Hades, powerful demigod, and overall emo teenager. Maybe it was his tendency to wear black, or the long hair, or the skull ring, he just looked emo to most people. Also, as his powers tended to drain him, he ate a lot, which was probably the reason for the statement.

"Ok, ok. Calm down, we'll find a place to sit, and then we'll eat. Ok?" Annabeth glanced at Percy with a raised eyebrow, to which he shrugged in response. Annabeth glared and punched him lightly. "Why do I have to make all the decisions?"

Percy smirked." That's cause you're the Architect of Olympus." To which he received another smack.

Thalia rolled her eyes and whispered to Nico. "It's like their married already." Nico nodded enthusiastically. Thalia was the daughter of Zeus, a Hunter of Artemis, and a punk girl, as she had a really weird taste in clothes. Her death to Barbie T-shirt attested to that fact. As a Lieutenant of Artemis, she also had a silver tiara on her hair, which according to Percy made her look like a Punk Princess. He had narrowly escaped electrocution for that remark.

After some more walking and a lot of good natured bickering, they found a spot and sat down. Percy took out some cheeseburgers and divided them among the demigods. Suddenly, the wind picked up, and the ground shuddered. Thunder rumbled in the distance and it started raining. Percy cursed:" What the Hades?!" and hurriedly packed the food back to the basket. Together, the four demigods ran to the nearest shelter. They made it just as another bolt of lightning flashed through the sky.

"Father seems angry…" muttered Thalia nervously.

"My dad too…" agreed Nico just as another tremble shook the ground.

Percy frowned. "Our fathers must be angry and arguing…again. The storms picking up really fast…"

Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light. When it cleared, a doorway of light floated in the air.

The demigods looked at each other apprehensively. Percy uncapped Riptide and activated his new shield Tyson had made for him. Annabeth drew her bronze knife; her mind was obviously running at a million miles an hour trying to analyze this. The shadows seemed to bend around Nico and form a sword of Stygian Iron. Thalia activated Aegis and her spear. Automatically, they all looked towards Percy, waiting for his call. Percy seemed to hesitate, but then he strode forward and poked his head into the doorway.

"Looks safe, guys. There's nothing here." He announced.

"Be careful, it could be a trap," Cautioned Annabeth.

"No duh". That was Thalia.

"Can we finish our lunch first?" everyone groaned at the son of Hades. Percy and Thalia facepalmed.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"_Heroes! Come!"_ the four demigods heard a loud, resonant voice in their heads. _"We need your help here."_

"Whoa! Time out!" yelled Percy, looking around him. "Who the Hades are you and where are you hiding?"

"_I am Lorien, Master of Dreams and Visions. I am not with you physically but I can speak through this_ _temporary gateway I have created. Our land is in great peril. We need the help of the heroes." _

Percy glanced at Annabeth. " I thought the God of Dreams was Morpheus. We aren't asleep right?"

Annabeth thought it over. "Let's find out." And punched Percy's arm.

"That didn't hurt. Then again, I do have the Curse of Achilles. "Mused Percy.

"Percy, I think we should trust him" said Nico. "In my Father's realm, I have often watched souls being judged. I don't detect any hint of deception in his words."

"_Percy, Thalia, Nico, Annabeth, we need your help. Please." _There was a pause, and then came a different voice. It was the voice of a frail, old man, a voice of desperation. _"Help." _The voice switched back: "_Please make your decision quickly. The portal closes in 20 minutes." _Then the voice was gone.

Percy looked at his four friends. They all nodded at him resolutely, their decision written clearly on their faces.

"Alright then, let's go."

The four demigods stepped into the door of light and vanished. The door seemed to fold on itself, then it too winked out of existence, just as four desperate Gods appeared on the scene.

Change of P.O.V

Aragorn

Weathertop

Two days ago

Aragorn's sword clashed with the black wraith in front of him. Dimly, he was aware of the hobbits screaming and panicking in fear. He mentally cursed the young hobbits for foolishly making a fire in spite of all the danger. He should have realized that hobbits thought with their stomachs. This was bad. There were at least five wraiths here, and Frodo had put on the Ring. He scanned the area desperately, looking for something to aid in the fight, and his gaze alighted on the fire the hobbits had built. A grim smile crossed his features. Running over to the fire, he grabbed a burning brand and shoved it into the closest wraith's face. The foul wraith screamed in pain and fled. Aragorn wasted no time, turning on the other Ringwraiths. There! Three wraiths were gathered around…nothing? Then, as the horrible realization struck Aragorn, the lead wraith plunged his blade downwards, and there was a scream of pain. Frodo suddenly reappeared, a gash in his shoulder, screaming in pain. With a speed and power born of desperation and anger, Aragorn leaped forward and attacked the wraiths. It was an intense battle, made even more terrible by the darkness that the wraiths loved, but Aragorn finally chased the last wraith away. He dropped the brand, chest heaving in exhaustion, and walked over to Frodo.

The diagnosis was grim. Frodo had been stabbed with a Morgul Blade. The tip of the blade had broken, and embedded itself within his body. As Aragorn picked up the hilt of the cursed sword, it dissolved in his hand. Aragorn sighed. He knew that the tip, if left in the hobbit's body, would slowly weaken him until he became as a wraith himself.

Samwise, Frodo's servant looked at him hopefully. "Can't you heal him, Strider?"

Regretfully, he shook his head. "This is beyond my power to heal. We must get him to Rivendell."

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Somewhere near Rivendell.

Present.

Samwise

Sam was tired. Strider had been leading them at a hard pace for two days, stopping only to sleep for the night. He wasn't complaining though. Master Frodo was dying, and he knew speed was of the essence. The other two hobbits have been unusually subdued too. They had miraculously walked without complaints, which was very unusual for them. They didn't even argue when Strider insisted on eating while walking to save time. Sam suspected it was because they knew that the Ringwraiths had found them because of their greediness. Still, he was getting tired. Hobbits were a sturdy breed, and could walk many miles without getting tired, but this was too much. Merry and Pippin's heads were hanging down in exhaustion, and they looked ready to collapse at any moment.

Fortunately for them, Strider also seemed to have been watching them, and he decided to stop for the night. Sam gratefully sank to his knees; only to jump when he heard shrieks from Merry and Pippin. "Trolls! Trolls!" fear leapt into Sam's heart, and he looked around for Strider. He hadn't trusted the tall stranger at first, but after seeing him defend them from those _things_ he had decided to trust him. Strider sprang up, his eyes wild, his hand on his sword, and ran over to the direction of the voices. Sam debated whether to follow him or to keep watch over Mr. Frodo. His loyalty to his master won out, and Sam listened fearfully for sounds of a fight. Instead, he heard _laughter_? This time, he ran over to the direction of the laughter, and what he saw made him laugh too. There _were_ trolls. Three STONE trolls sitting in a circle. Strider was laughing hard and he looked like he was trying to decide whether to kill the two hobbits for giving him a false alarm, while Merry and Pippin looked sheepishly at the floor.

"You would have thought it was real, though, if it had loomed out of the darkness like that." Mumbled Merry. Pippin nodded vigorously. Sam guffawed.

"I know why these trolls are here!" He claimed. "Master Bilbo told me all about them. The time he went out with thirteen dwarves and Gandalf! These trolls were turned to stone while they were still arguing how to cook them, thanks to Gandalf's arrival."

Merry's eyes widened. " I have heard that story. I just never thought it was true." He stepped back and looked at the three statues in awe. "guess old Bilbo really told the truth then." He whistled in appreciation.

Suddenly, there was a gasp from the direction of their camp. Sam's eyes widened. Master Frodo! He had forgotten about Master Frodo! He ran back in the direction of the camp, Strider right on his heels. Frodo was gasping and turning in a fit. His eyes were white circles. Sam stared in horror. "Strider! Do something!"

Strider thought hard for a while, then turned back to Sam. "Bring me some Athelas."

"Athelas?" Sam was a proud gardener, but he had never heard of this plant before.

"Kingsfoil!"

Sam's eyes widened. "Kingsfoil? That's a weed!"

"Trust me!" Strider ran off.

Sam ran off in a different direction, desperate to save his master.

_Another _ change in P.O.V. ( is it too much, guys? Is it too confusing?)

Thalia

A bank of a river

Thalia was confused and unhappy. They had stepped through the magic doorway, only to end up here at the bank of a river. There was nobody there to greet them. Percy had been confused, and he and Nico had elected to search the perimeter for this "Lorien" who had called them here.

Annabeth sat next to her. "It doesn't make sense. The guy said that this place was in danger, created a doorway and told us to go in. Once we went inside, the portal closes. No one is here, no explanation, no orientation. So now we are currently stuck here. We don't know what to do, where to go, and who exactly needs our help." She sighed in frustration. "it just doesn't make sense."

Thalia nodded. "Summed it up in a nutshell, Wise Girl."

Just then, Nico and Percy returned, their faces a mix of frustration and confusion.

"There isn't anyone within a mile of this river." Reported Nico. "and," he added, "I'm still hungry."

Thalia facepalmed, then smirked as Percy doused Nico with river water. "Stop thinking about your stomach for a while, Death Boy. We've got bigger problems."

Percy nodded. "This place feels different. It seems to have a strong link to nature. My powers are stronger here. Also, there doesn't seem to be any technology here."

Nico groaned. "so there won't be any fast food joints?"

"Shut Up Nico!" came three yells.

Annabeth suddenly smacked her forehead. "how could I have forgotten?" then rummaged inside her backpack. Thalia leaned in to see what she had brought, hoping for a cool magic item, only to see Annabeth bring out… a dinner plate.

"Oh Wow, Annabeth, a dinner plate. How useful." Said Thalia, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Annabeth ignored her and tapped the plate, expanding it into the video shield Beckendorf had made.

Thalia was suddenly interested. "cool."

Percy looked impressed. "didn't know you still had it."

Annabeth smiled at him. "I like to be prepared. Then, she looked at the shield. "What should I ask to see?"

"The nearest place to eat." You can guess who said that…

"The closest shelter house," Offered Thalia.

"the nearest person alive." Suggested Kelp Head.

Wow. Thalia was impressed. Kelp Head had actually made a good suggestion. Annabeth looked surprised too, then she smiled and looked at the shield. "Show us the closest person alive."

The shield seemed to zoom out. Soon, a bird's eye view of their location appeared. The shield then zoomed in on a figure on horseback rapidly approaching our location. It looked like a woman with a small figure behind her. Suddenly, Thalia and Annabeth gasped in horror. Behind her were eight to nine riders, all dressed in black robes, pursuing her. Nico shuddered.

"These things remind me of the malevolent ghosts in the Fields of Punishment" he muttered.

Percy uncapped Riptide and his shield. "Heads up guys, she's coming our way."

All four demigods unsheathed their weapons and shields and prepared to help the woman.

That's it for today. I enjoyed writing this a lot. To all my readers, I assure you that I will not abandon this fic. I promised not to demand reviews, so I won't force you to. There are a few questions to ask you guys though.

Is the P.O.V all right? I considered writing in First Person, but decided on Third. Though I could change it if you want a more personal view.

I constantly change P.O.V.s through this fic. Does it get too confusing?

Do you guys want shorter chapters with faster updates or longer chapters with less frequent updates?

Anyway, thanks for dropping by and reading my fic. I hope you enjoyed it.

Pjcrazy signing out


	4. Convergence

**Hey guys! New update already! I hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoy writing it! Sorry that the past few chapters don't have much line breaks. Stupid program won't recognize my lines. I know that the past three chapters were mostly filler chapters. I wanted to give a view from both perspectives before merging them. Anyway, thanks for being kind enough to read this fic and to all who reviewed, a sincere thank you.**

**Disclaimer- Do I really have to add this? You know as well as I do that I'm not Tolkien or Riordan.**

**On with the tale! I'll make this slightly longer. Maybe 3k if I'm feeling generous.**

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Arwen Evenstar

Arwen Evenstar was riding like a demon. Speed was of the essence. Frodo had already started to fade and there were Ringwraiths behind her. She was getting nearer to her destination now, the river was near. Soon she would be over the river and in her father's home. She risked a quick glance behind her, and realized the wraiths were closer than she thought. She cursed and whispered into her horse's ear, spurring him on.

Close now…very close. Behind her a delirious Frodo gave a gasp. She whirled and saw that one of the wraiths was almost close enough to touch. She gave an involuntary scream and lashed out with her sword. The Ringwraith fell back, shrieking angrily. The fell noise resounded in her ears. She groaned. How had she gotten into this situation again?

#_Flashback#_

_Her father had sent her out to search for Aragorn. Gandalf the Grey had returned, and he had asked for Aragorn, saying that he had sent him to meet the Ringbearer and that the wraiths were pursuing him. That was all she had needed to hear. She had saddled her horse and rode out in search of Estel. After two days of searching, she had found him…crouched in a bush, desperately scrabbling around, probably looking for more athelas._

_Seeing and opportunity to tease him, she had crept up behind him and touched his throat with her sword. "What's this? A ranger caught off his guard." He had been delighted to see her, and her, him. Sadly, their meeting had to be cut short. The Ringbearer had been wounded by a cursed blade and would die unless brought to her father quickly. Though it pained her to do it, she had to take the Ringbearer and leave Estel behind._

_Hardly a day after she left the company, the Ringwraiths had found her. Though she had told Estel that she did not fear them, their presence struck a chill in her heart. The chase had started._

_#Flashback ends#_

Her horse was getting tired. She could feel it through how her horse breathed and its chest was heaving with exhaustion. She looked forward. The river was still a couple of yards ahead, and the Ringwraiths were gaining rapidly. She wasn't going to make it. The closest Ring wraith unsheathed its sword and reached forward…

…and shrieked in pain. Arwen gasped. There was a silver arrow protruding from the wraiths arm. Another arrow streaked past her ear and hit the wraith behind her. She heard a girl's voice yelling. "Nico! What the Hades are those?" A girl? Here?

A boy's voice yelled back. "How do you expect me to know? And please stop using my Father's name as an expletive!"

"Enough! You two!" came an authoritative voice, also a boy's voice. "We've got to help that woman!" _That Woman?_ Those voices sounded just like teenager's voices. What were a bunch of teenagers doing here in this desolate place?

Suddenly from behind a thicket, four teenagers charged out, but they were like no teenagers she had ever seen. The leader was a raven-haired boy with striking sea-green eyes. He looked 16 in age and he was holding a deadly-looking leaf-shaped sword that seemed to give off a slight glow. He was also carrying a shield made of the same material, which strange designs hammered onto the surface. Beside him was a girl who also looked 16, with golden hair and storm grey eyes. Instead of a sword, she carried a long knife and a shield. The girl behind her was even stranger, with a long spear that seemed to crackle with electricity and a shield with a horrifying design. Even seen from a distance, it made Arwen want to turn and run. The girl had electric blue eyes and a really strange hairstyle. A silver tiara was on her head. The last figure was dressed all in black. He looked younger than the others, probably 14. He wielded a sword seemingly made from pure shadow, black as nightmare, and a shield made from the same material. Together, despite their age, they made a formidable group.

As one, they charged the Ringwraiths. Arwen turned her horse, torn between having to get Frodo to safety and protecting these children, but the leader turned to her. "Go! We've got this!" she nodded her thanks and continued riding.

Once in the river, she felt safe. She was in her father's territory now. She looked back and gasped. The teenagers were slowly retreating, but they were giving an impressive display. Bolts of lightning shot from the girl's spear, and 4 _skeletons_ were holding the wraiths off. Was one of them a Necromancer? She shuddered at the thought. It was impressive, but she knew the Ringwraiths couldn't be held off forever. As if realizing this, the teenagers slowly fell back to the river. The first wraith's horse stepped into the river. It looked angry. There were gashes on its black robe, and a foul black liquid was leaking out of it.

"You. Will. Pay." It hissed in a threatening, sinister voice.

Arwen concentrated and spoke in Elvish "Waters Rise against the Ringwraiths!" she said it repeatedly until the current grew stronger, and stronger.

"Wow. Was that you, Perce?" asked the one in black.

The boy called Perce answered." Nope, but I'm going to use it, this will be fun." a grin appeared on his face. He closed his eyes and made a thrusting motion with his hands. To Arwen's shock, the river responded. Two arms made of water rose up. Perce smiled and a made a punch with his fist. A gigantic fist of water slammed into the wraith. Another wraith was grabbed from his horse and flung to the ground…hard. Perce made a grabbing motion, and two watery arms grabbed two more wraiths, smashed their heads together, and slammed them on the ground. The last wraith, who had hung back for most of the battle, wisely decided to make a run for it, only to be zapped by a bolt of lightning from the black-haired girl's spear. The four teenagers relaxed and slapped their hands together, laughing.

"You didn't have to do the lightning thing, lieutenant Pinecone, I would have got him," laughed the tallest boy.

"And let you get all the fun? Not a chance, Kelp Head." She retorted.

The black haired boy laughed. "You both did awesome, alright?"

The golden-haired girl teased: "yeah Death Boy, it actually made you forget your stomach."

"About that… summoning those skeletons were hard work. Can we eat now?" the other three groaned and made a strange gesture in which they slapped their foreheads. The obvious friendship and closeness of these kids made her smile.

She turned to them. "Thank you so much for helping me. For now, I must leave you. I have to bring this sick hobbit to my father. You are welcome to come with me though. You would be welcome."

They appeared to consider it, having a whispered discussion among themselves. Arwen suddenly realized that their weapons were nowhere to be seen, except for the golden-haired girl's knife and shield. She wondered where the weapons had disappeared to.

As they seemed to be taking some time, Arwen decided to add some incentive. "We have lots of food." She had to smile at the response. The younger boy looked at the oldest pleadingly. The leader gave an exasperated sigh, then turned and flashed a winning smile at her. "We would be honored to."

Arwen smiled and rode towards a rock wall. Behind her, she heard whispering.

"_Why are we walking towards a wall_?"

"_How the Hades would I know?"_

"_Stop using my father's name as an expletive!"_

"_Let's just trust her, ok?"_

Arwen had to fight down her growing smile. Teenagers. She continued riding, and then slipped into a fissure that was completely hidden by the shadow. To the teenagers, it would seem as if she had just vanished.

"What the…" came a confused voice.

"Where the Hades did she vanish to?" asked the black-haired girl.

"She probably went into a hidden passage," reasoned the golden-haired girl.

"Yeah, I see it. And Thalia, stop using my father's name as an expletive."

"Like I care…"

Arwen was surprised, how had he seen that? The passage was very well hidden. She watched as the four teenagers trudged inside, bickering all the while. She continued riding to the end of the passage, and watched their jaws drop in amusement. It was the same reaction all newcomers had when they saw Rivendell for the first time. She walked into the house and looked for her father.

"Father, I found them. However, the Ringbearer has been wounded with a Morgul blade. He needs your healing quickly. Also, four teenagers have arrived with amazing powers. They saved me from the Ringwraiths."

Elrond face betrayed no emotion. He nodded and took Frodo to the rooms of healing. "Well done, my daughter."

Arwen smiled. Her mission now accomplished, she decided to look for the teenagers that had saved her life.

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Change of P.O.V.

Nico

Rivendell

Munching his way through a large pile of food, Nico sat with the other three demigods, grinning happily. "That was one heck of a battle, wasn't it Perce?"

Percy grinned back. "Awesome. I hadn't had as much fun since I fought Hyperion."

_#flashback#_

"_Heads up guys. She's coming." Percy said. Nico smiled and formed his sword. Finally! Life had been boring after the Titan War ended. Now it looked like there was a battle on his hands._

_Thalia made the first shot. One of the Black Riders was reaching over to the woman, and the arrow hit it in the arm, making it give an unearthly shriek which sent chills down Nico's spine. These creatures were creepy. They gave him the same feeling that he felt whenever he went too near the Pit. A feeling of rot, and an overwhelming malevolence._

"_Nico! What the Hades are those?" Thalia yelled. He really wished that they would stop cursing in his father's name._

"_How do you expect me to know?"He yelled back. "And please stop using my father's name as an expletive!"_

"_Enough! You two!" Called Percy. "We've got to help that woman!" Funny how at the first sign of battle, Percy's entire demeanor changes. From a laughing, carefree boy to an intense, commanding figure. It was both cool and unsettling at the same time._

_They drew their weapons and charged the Riders. Percy yelled something at the woman, who nodded and rode off. Nico's Stygian iron sword flashed, and a Rider shrieked in pain, a dark liquid flowing from the wound. However, the wound didn't kill it but sent a jolt up his arm that almost made him drop his sword. Those things can't be defeated by melee fighting then. Looking around, he saw Percy had come to the same conclusion and was ordering them to fall back. He turned back just in time to block the Rider's sword with his shield. Thinking quickly, he stabbed his sword into the ground. "Serve me!" He cried, unsure whether it would work here. The ground burst open, four warriors armed with swords and shields crawled out. Nico smiled in relief. "Hold them back!" he ordered. Slowly, they retreated to the river, Thalia occasionally firing bolts of lightning._

_The lady yelled something in a strange language repeatedly, the sound ringing in his ears. The river swelled. Nico glanced at Percy, impressed. "Wow, was that you, Perce?" he asked._

_The son of Poseidon grinned. "Nope, but I'm going to use this. This will be fun." Nico smirked and glanced at the others, who were all waiting for the show. Percy manipulated the water into giant arms and totally smashed the Riders. It was and awe-inspiring sight, even to Nico, who had seen Percy do amazing things. The last rider evidently decided to run for it, but Thalia zapped it with a lightning bolt, speeding it along._

_After that, the strange lady offered them a place to stay. Nico's eyes widened when she offered food. He was ready to follow her anywhere. The lady rode towards a rock cliff. They had another whispered quarrel and when they looked up, she was gone._

"_What the…" muttered Percy, a shocked expression on his face._

"_Where the Hades did she vanish to?" Thalia asked. Nico groaned. Why did they always use his father's name?_

"_She probably went into a hidden passage," reasoned Annabeth, always the smartest._

_His night vision picked out the fissure in the cliff. "Yeah, I see it. And Thalia, stop using my father's name as an expletive."_

_She stuck out her tongue. "Like I care." _

_Nico rolled his eyes. How immature._

_They had continued until the end of the passage. Nico's jaw dropped. Wow. Just…wow. A cluster of houses, built together beside a waterfall and an amazing view. Dimly, he heard the lady chuckling in amusement. Later, they went in. the lady went to a strange man who looked like he had lived a thousand years and used lots of anti-aging cream. His eyes were so old, filled with equal amounts of pain and happiness, but his face was unlined and expressionless. Nico shrugged it off and went to the dining table, where lots of food awaited him._

_#flashback ends#_

Nico came out of his thoughts to eat another apple. The food was nice, but there was no meat. Maybe these people were vegetarians. Sad.

He glanced around the table. Thalia had evidently eaten her fill and was dozing contentedly. Annabeth was gushing about the amazing architecture of the place to Percy, who had a glazed look in his eyes. Nico smirked, that's what he gets for dating a daughter of Athena. Then, a new arrival came. It was the lady that they had saved earlier.

"Greetings." She said nervously, "Welcome to Rivendell. I'm sorry I did not have the chance to thank you properly." She gave a slight bow. "Thank you."

A sharp gasp elicited from Percy. Nico glanced at him, and he made a not-so-subtle gesture at his ears. Nico glanced back to the lady and realized… her ears were pointed!

Annabeth asked hesitantly. "Err.. Not to be rude, but… What are you?"

The lady looked surprised. "You don't know? Have you never heard of the Firstborn? She asked.

Four blank faces stared back at her.

The lady looked confused. "I should have thought it obvious. I am an elf."

Nico stared at the others. Three identical shocked faces stared back at him.

The _elf_ continued. "I am Arwen Evenstar, Elf Princess of Rivendell. May I know your names?"

Nico decided to start first. "I am Nico Di Angelo. Son of.."

He was interrupted as Percy stomped on his foot. Hard. Percy made a barely noticeable shake of his head. Nico then understood. They were obviously in a different place where fantastical creatures live. It would not be wise to reveal everything about themselves.

Arwen looked at him curiously, surprised at his sudden silence.

"Son of … Maria Di Angelo." He finished lamely. Thalia facepalmed.

Percy jumped in before it got awkward "Percy Jackson."

Annabeth continued. "Annabeth Chase."

Thalia finished. "Thalia Grace."

Arwen smiled. " I have many questions to ask you."

Nico's grin froze. This could be trouble.

Percy made a show of confidence. "Fire away."

Arwen looked confused. "Fire away?" she glanced out the window. "I see no fire."

Annabeth quickly explained. "He meant go on." She shot a glare at Percy, who seemed to quail. Funny how the Hero of Olympus could face the Titan Kronos without hesitation, but quailed under the glare of his girlfriend.

"Alright, first question. What did you do at that river?" she asked Percy.

################################################## ############################

Change of P.O.V

Percy

_Oh gods, I'm screwed_ thought Percy. His mind raced to find an plausible explanations. Arwen made it easy for him.

"Are you wizards?"

_Wizards?_ Percy wondered. _There were wizards here?_. _Well, it could work. It would definitely explain our behavior without giving away too much. _Out loud, he said, "Yes. We are wandering wizards who have taken a wrong turn."

He felt Annabeth wince beside him. Oops.

Arwen asked with a hint of amusement. "How do four powerful wizards _Take a wrong turn?_

Thalia jumped in._ I'm saved. _"It's not our fault. We were following old Kelp Head here." Percy glared at Thalia, who smirked at him.

"I see. What are these strange clothes you are all wearing?" _ Strange clothes? _Percy glanced down. He was wearing a perfectly normal t-shirt and jeans. The only odd one here was Thalia, who had a weird taste in clothes. _Besides, she's one to talk. She's wearing a nightgown._

Annabeth answered for him. "This are the clothes we use for casting magic. Wizard stuff." She assured. Percy smiled, his girlfriend was certainly awesome.

Arwen raised and eyebrow. "So if you are a wizard, where are your staffs? And old Gandalf doesn't wear these kinds of clothes too.

_Oh shit. We're dead. _He shot a desperate look at his girlfriend. _Help…_

Annabeth saved him. "We are of a different group of wizards, and we have our secrets to keep."

Arwen raised an eyebrow. "Alright. I see you have something you need to keep hidden. I shall not intrude. Anyway, you are welcome to stay here, at least until you feel the need to leave. If you have any questions, you can come to me."

Percy gave a bow."Thank you, My Lady."

Thalia, Nico and Annabeth all looked at him like he had grown an extra arm. He waited until Arwen had left before he whispered. "What? I can be respectful if I want to, you know."

That did it. They dissolved into laughter.

Maybe this place wasn't so bad after all.

################################################## ############################Chapter 4 finished!

Next chapter, The Council of Elrond. Coming soon. Stay tuned! Probably about next week or so if I feel like it. If I get a sudden rush of inspiration, I just might post in earlier. ;)

If you have any suggestions or corrections, you are welcome to review.

Thanks for reading my story. Pjcrazy signing out.

_Estel- Aragorn's Childhood name_


	5. The Council of Elrond

Hey guys. Consider yourselves lucky. I decided to update early. Only a week since I started and already five chapters. Not bad eh? A heartfelt thanks to all who had favorited and followed my story. I was shocked to see so many follows in my inbox. Thanks guys. One reader has pm'd me about my chapter length. I know the chapters are short, but I'm a new writer. I'll make the chapters progressively longer as momentum builds.

Disclaimer- This is the last time I'll bother to add this. I'm not Rick or Tolkien

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Gandalf

Rivendell

Gandalf sat on an old stone bench, smoking his pipe contentedly. Beside him, the old hobbit Bilbo was also lighting his pipe. The two of them were having a friendly smoke-ring blowing contest. Bilbo was an expert in the art, but even he couldn't rival the old wizard, who was an expert in smoke and fires. After a few minutes of this, Bilbo spoke up.

"How is Frodo, Gandalf?" He asked. "Lord Elrond still wouldn't let me in. but I know for a fact that you have been inside more than once."

Gandalf blew another smoke ring. "Frodo is doing fine. Marvelously, in fact. Lord Elrond managed to remove the cursed tip before Frodo faded, and he is now resting."

Bilbo sighed wistfully. "I wish I could see him again. It has been so long. Twenty years since my birthday already."

Gandalf chuckled. "I'm sure he will come and find you when he is awake. You're like a father to him, you know."

Bilbo gave a sad smile. "I know. I just wish I could have had more time with him."

Gandalf was about to reply, when they heard a voice calling from the valley entrance.

"Who is it, Gandalf?" asked Bilbo anxiously. "My old eyes can't see so far!"

Gandalf gave a relieved smile. "Aragorn is here, with the rest of the hobbits."

"The Dunadan is back? Ah, then he can help me polish that poem of mine." Smiled Bilbo, walking back into the house.

Gandalf stood up too, and was about to leave, when the sound of laughter reached his ears. Looking out over the beautiful hidden valley, he saw the "wizards" sparring near the pond. Gandalf gave a slight frown. These "wizards" were a puzzle. They were not of the Istar, yet Arwen had told of their amazing power and their claim to be wizards. There were no wizards in Middle Earth other than the Istar, and certainly none as young as those teenagers. Could they have been children who had somehow gotten their hands on the Rings of power? It would certainly explain their powers over the wind and water that Arwen had spoken of, but he knew that Vinya was still in the hands of Cirdan, and Nenya on the finger of Galadriel. The third elven ring, Narya, was safely in his hands. He shook his head. He would watch these teenagers very carefully indeed. As he watched, the oldest boy rolled out of the way of the black-haired girl's spear, then doused her with pond water. Gandalf walked back into the house, puzzling it through.

################################################## ###################################

Change of P.O.V

Samwise

Sam sat by his Master's bed, watching over him. He had been here for nearly four days, and had only left Frodo's side to eat. Occasionally, Gandalf would come and visit too, and Lord Elrond would also check on his condition. Merry and Pippin also visited occasionally, and old Bilbo Baggins. Sam had been shocked to see him. He, like everyone else in the Shire had thought Bilbo dead when he vanished twenty years ago. So far, he had seen little of Rivendell, preferring to stay at his master's side, but Merry and Pippin had been all over the place, annoying some of the elven population. They would fill him in every night on what they had seen and heard. They told of four human children who had apparently saved his master from the Black Riders using lightning and water. Sam found this hard to believe, but even Lady Arwen had confirmed the account. Sam couldn't wait to meet them and thank them for helping his master.

At that moment, Gandalf entered, a concerned look on his face. "How is he?" he asked.

Sam shrugged. "There hasn't been any change, Gandalf."

Gandalf looked at his tired face for a while. "Why don't you take a rest? I'll watch him for a while. Go out and have a walk in the fresh air."

Sam was reluctant to leave his master, but he couldn't resist seeing more of this garden paradise. He nodded gratefully to Gandalf and left the room. He roamed the Gardens with Merry and Pippin, who soon got bored of walking around in the garden and went off in search of something more interesting. Sam marveled at how well everything grew. Elf magic, he supposed. The flowers were beautiful, red roses, white daisies, yellow sunflowers, and a flower that seemed to be made of pure sunlight called the _elanor._

After making a circuit of the gardens of Rivendell, he walked back into his master's room. On the way, he noticed many new arrivals in the courtyard. A Man, with brown hair and a beard, he carried himself with pride and there was a magnificent horn on his belt. Another elf, with long golden hair and blue eyes, a bow and quiver slung over his shoulders. Dwarves, two of them. An old bearded dwarf and a younger one that seemed to be his son. Both dwarves carried axes made of a shining metal. Shrugging it off, he continued up the many flights of stairs to the rooms of healing.

He passed a small room. Sounds of bickering drifted from inside. Curious, Sam peeked inside. Four teenagers were sitting on the floor, a map of Middle Earth spread between them. The golden haired girl, Annabeth, was speaking.

" I borrowed this from Lord Elrond's library today. It has just confirmed my suspicions. We are no longer in New York, or even in Earth at all."

_New York? Earth? Were those places in Middle Earth? He had certainly never heard of them._

"No Duh. Wraiths, elves, dwarves and those little guys who call themselves hobbits, this is definitely a whole new world." Muttered the black haired girl, Thalia.

_Little guys?_ Sam thought incredulously. _Little guys?_

"Let me finish. According to this book," Annabeth produced another book titled _The Valar of Middle Earth. "_Here, it states that Lorien is the Master of Dreams and Visions."

"Lorien? Isn't that the bloke that brought us here?" asked Percy.

"I have another question!" Nico piped up. "If this is Middle Earth, is our world Top Earth or Bottom Earth?"

"NICO!"

Sam didn't wait to hear more. He quietly slipped past the door and continued to his master's room, wondering who in the world were these strangers and where had they come from. When he reached his master's room, he stopped in shock and delight. He heard voices! Gandalf's old sad tone describing his stay in Isengard and his escape, and the sweet voice of his beloved master.

He ran into the room and jumped on the bed. "Frodo! Frodo! Bless you you're awake!" he cried happily, tears leaking from his eyes. Frodo immediately hugged him back. Dimly, he heard Gandalf chuckle. "Sam has hardly left your side since he arrived." Sam just sat there, full of happiness that his master was alright.

They wandered the grounds together, Sam eagerly pointed out the wonders of this place, and Frodo had a long talk with Bilbo. There was a grand feast to celebrate Frodo's recovery, and many people were there, including the newcomers and the strangers. Then, Sam saw Gandalf taking his master aside and whispering something into his ear. Sam slowly tiptoed behind Gandalf and listened.

"Tomorrow, there will be a secret council about the fate of the ring. You should be there." Whispered Gandalf. "Remember, it is secret. Do not even tell Sam."

Frodo nodded, surprised. " Alright Gandalf. I will be there."

Sam walked away, deep in thought. _If master Frodo goes, the council might decide to send him somewhere, and I would not know. I must be there. I must be there for my master. I wonder if Merry and Pippin have any ways to allow me to eavesdrop…_

################################################## ###################################

Change in P.O.V

Annabeth

Annabeth had been in the library, reading all she could about this new place. The more she read, the more she was convinced that they were in a new world. She wondered if she could get a map… Perfect! Lady Arwen had just entered the library.

"Lady Arwen!" she called, waving.

Arwen smiled. "Annabeth, is it not? Please, call me Arwen. What is it you need?"

"I was wondering, Lad.. I mean Arwen, if I could borrow a map of this place?" Annabeth asked in the tone of voice she used when dealing with the gods.

"A map? Of course. Here," she said, going over to a shelf and pulling out a huge map the size of a large poster. "This is a map of the entire Middle Earth, with extensive notes by old Gandalf."

"Thank you so much, Arwen." Smiled Annabeth.

Arwen laughed. "You saved my life! What is this small favor compared to that?"

Annabeth laughed too. "Thanks anyway. Do you mind if I take it out of the library?"

"Not at all. Keep it as long as you like."

Annabeth gave a slight bow and hurried out of the library with the map in hand. She ran to the room where she and Thalia slept and found Thalia rolling on the floor wrestling Percy while Nico sat on the bed and cheered.

Annabeth gave a mental facepalm. "Guys, enough! I have something to show you!"

Thalia disentangled herself from Percy's limbs. "Annie! I wasn't expecting you out of the library this early!"

Percy laughed. "Yeah, you usually go in after breakfast and only come out for lunch and dinner."

Annabeth ignored them and spread the map on the floor. "Guys, I borrowed this from Lord Elrond's library. It has confirmed my suspicions. We are no longer in New York, or even on earth at all."

The map was huge, with lots of detail. There were also many annotations written in a miniscule writing. But the title of the map was easy to read. Middle Earth.

Thalia muttered something which Annabeth ignored. She took out another book she had borrowed _the Valar of Middle Earth_. "Let me finish. Here, it says that Lorien is the master of Dreams and visions."

Percy asked "Isn't that the bloke that bought us here?"

Before she could answer that, Nico made a stupid pun that had them all yelling at him. Suddenly, Lady Arwen knocked on the doorframe.

Annabeth rose, along with the other three.

"Lady Arwen, is there anything you require from us?" asked Percy. Annabeth smiled fondly. _Seaweed Brain._ Just when you expected him to go all sarcastic, he suddenly became so respectful. She loved him, even with all his quirks.

Arwen sighed and shook her head. "Please, Percy, it's just Arwen. My father wishes to invite you to a feast tonight to celebrate Frodo's recovery."

_Frodo?_ "Is Frodo the _hobbit _that was lying on your horse that day?" asked Annabeth.

Arwen nodded. "It is. And another thing," she added, glancing around as if checking there was nobody eavesdropping, "there will be a secret council tomorrow regarding the fate of the ring. My father wishes you to join too, as he senses that you will have a part to play."

"The ring?" Asked Thalia, "What ring?" Annabeth was wondering the same thing.

Arwen hesitated. "All will be explained tomorrow. "She smiled. "I hope to see you tonight at the feast."

As she left, she paused, then added as an afterthought. "Thalia, Annabeth, come with me. I have some dresses that you can wear tonight."

Percy and Nico burst into laughter at the thought of _Thalia _in a dress. Even Annabeth had to fight down a grin at Thalia's horrified face.

"We'll leave you girls now! Have fun dressing up!" laughed Percy. Thalia shot him a death glare, which just sent him into more laughter. They shot out of the door quickly, though, when they saw her reaching for her spear.

##############Time Lapse############################################# ################

Next day.

"Strangers of distant lands, friends of old, you have been summoned to answer the threat of Mordor."Elrond said.

Annabeth between Percy and Nico in the council. There was a circle of seats surrounding a stump, and in each seat there seemed to be a different representative of each race. Boromir, the steward of Gondor. She remembered seeing the city of Gondor on the map. He was a big, proud man, with brown hair and a brown beard. Two dwarves, an old stocky dwarf called Gloin and Gimli his son Annabeth had already pegged them down as stubborn and impulsive. For the elves, Elrond, with his ageless face and old eyes, and Legolas, a wood elf with long golden hair and bright blue eyes. And there was the Aragorn, the Ranger. Annabeth had heard he was the True King of Gondor, Isildur's heir from Arwen. Annabeth had suspected something was going on between Aragorn and Arwen, and Percy had seen them talking and kissing on a bridge last night. Annabeth smirked at the memory. Lately, Percy and Aragorn had become firm friends since Percy had helped Aragorn with some _girl _problems.

Another strange character was Gandalf. An old man with a grey pointy hat and a long flowing beard._ So this was a wizard, thought_ Annabeth. She was also pretty sure it had been his voice they heard when Lorien had called them. Lastly, there were the hobbits. A strange little man, smaller than a dwarf, yet as old as an adult. Frodo was a young hobbit with a child's face and blue eyes. He looked bewildered by everything that was going on.

She was interrupted in her observations when Nico nudged her and subtly pointed to the pillars of the house behind them. She grinned as she saw the two prankster hobbits, Merry and Pippin hiding and eavesdropping. She had also noticed that a plant in the flowerbed would move occasionally, inclining towards the source of the speaker's voices. She suspected it was the other hobbit, Frodo's servant, also eavesdropping. Were all hobbits this inquisitive?

A hush fell upon the council. Annabeth turned her attention to what was going on. Frodo had stood up, walked over to the stump, and placed a ring on it. A simple gold band, without any markings, yet Annabeth suddenly had a strange sensation of wanting it, wanting to grab it. She shook herself out of it. She had experienced this feeling before, in the Sea of Monsters, when the sirens had tempted her. Now that she was focused, she recognized the evil of the ring, reaching out to tempt the members of the council.

"It is a gift," spoke up Boromir, a strange light in his eyes, "a gift to the foes of Mordor!" he stood up. "Why not use this Ring? Long has my father the Steward of Gondor kept the forces of Mordor at our blood are the lands of your people kept safe. Give Gondor the weapon of the enemy. Let us use it against him!"

Annabeth could have facepalmed. Didn't he get it? The ring was evil! It practically radiated evil!

Aragorn reprimanded him "You cannot wield it! None of us can. The One Ring answers to Sauron alone. It has no other master"

Boromir looked at him derisively. "And what, would a Ranger know of this matter?"

Legolas stood up angrily. "He is no mere ranger! He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance."

Boromir gave Aragorn a second look and said in a voice of quiet disbelief. 'This? This is Isildur's heir?

Legolas nodded. "And heir to the throne of Gondor."

Aragorn held out his hands, and said something to Legolas in Elvish. Legolas sat back down, albeit reluctantly.

Boromir looked shocked at this revelation, but still he said. "Gondor has no king, Gondor needs no king." And he sat down. Annabeth studied him. It seemed he was jealous of Aragorn's position.

Gandalf decided it was time to end this discussion. "Aragorn is right. We cannot use it!" Annabeth agreed wholeheartedly.

Elrond nodded. "Then we have only one choice. The ring must be destroyed." Was it her imagination, or did a flicker of disappointment cross Boromir's face?

Gimli stood up. "Then what are we waiting for?" he raised his axe and smashed it into the ring. There was a tremendous crack, and he flew back to his seat. His axe lay on the table, shattered. _Yep, impulsive, just as I guessed._ She noticed that Frodo jerked upright, then slumped, touching his temple. Gandalf looked at him with concern.

Elrond sighed. "the ring cannot be destroyed, Gimli son of Gloin, by any craft we possess. It was made in the fires of Mount Doom., only there can it be unmade. It must be taken deep into Mordor to be cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came. One of you must do this." He finished, looking around at the council.

Boromir spoke up. "One does not simply walk into Mordor. Its black gates are guarded by more than just Orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep. And the great Eye is ever watchful. It is a barren wasteland, riddled with fire and ash and dust. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with ten thousand men could you do this. It is folly!" Seriously! What was it with this guy?

Percy groaned & whispered to Annabeth. "Doesn't this guy ever shut up?" She snickered.

Legolas stood indignantly. "Have you heard nothing Lord Elrond has said? The ring must be destroyed!"

Gimli leapt to his feet. "And I suppose you think you're the one to do it?" he asked angrily.

"And if we fail, what then? What happens when Sauron takes what is his?" Boromir added for good measure. Annabeth did a mental facepalm. This could be trouble.

Gimli yelled, "I will be dead before I see the Ring in the hands of an elf!" causing mass chaos as everyone stood and started arguing. Annabeth groaned and beside her, Percy facepalmed. If this was the last hope of the people of Middle Earth, they were doomed.

Gimli yelled again, "Never trust an elf!" Legolas jumped him and they started to argue loudly.

Gandalf tried to stop the chaos. "Do you not understand? While we bicker among ourselves, Sauron's power grows! You will all be destroyed! Your homes burnt and your family put to the sword!" Unfortunately, it only added to the chaos going on.

Just as Annabeth was going to ask Percy to douse them all to cool them off, a clear voice cut through the chaos. "I will take it…I will take it. I will take the Ring to Mordor!" said Frodo Baggins. Annabeth saw Gandalf close his eyes, as if what he had desired yet feared had happened. The hobbit then added, "Though… I do not know the way." She had to be impressed at the courage of the young hobbit.

Gandalf strode forward and put his hands reassuringly on Frodo's shoulders. " I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins, as long as it is yours to bear."

Aragorn also had stood. "If, by my life or death, I can protect you, I will." He knelt before the young hobbit. "You have my sword."

Legolas came over. "And you have my bow."

The dwarf had also come forward. "And my axe!" He proclaimed.

Percy snickered and whispered to the other demigods. "Yeah, his axe, which he just broke five minutes ago." Annabeth had to fight very hard not to smile.

Boromir stood and looked at Frodo. "You carry the fate of us all, little one." He looked towards Elrond. "If it is the will of the council, then Gondor will see it done."

Then, something totally unexpected happened. Percy stood. "We will help too." Nico and Thalia gaped at him. "Trust me guys, I had a dream last night." They nodded reluctantly.

Aragorn studied Percy. "I cannot ask of you to do this, my friend, as you have no obligation in this matter, but I cannot deny that my heart shall be glad to have you with us."

Percy smiled. "we will come." He strode forward and stood with the Companions. Nico, Annabeth and Thalia also walked forward and stood beside him. Percy smiled gratefully at them. "Thanks guys."

Frodo looked awed to see the greatest of Middle Earth standing beside him. His blue eyes were wide with astonishment and awe.

Annabeth looked at Percy and raised a fist. She slowly extended a finger and mouthed. "One, Two…"

"Three." The plant which Annabeth had been monitoring gave a yell. "Master Frodo's not going anywhere without me!"

Percy looked at Annabeth with surprise and admiration. She smirked back at him. Annabeth had to laugh at Elrond's face. He looked both shocked and amused at the same time. "No…Indeed. It seems impossible to separate you, even when he is summoned to a secret council and you are not." Sam grinned with pride.

Another noise, and the other two hobbits ran out from behind the pillar. "Oi! We're coming too! You'll have to send us home tied up in a sack to stop us!"

Elrond's face was priceless. Percy smirked. "I think he's actually considering it."

"Anyway, you need people of intelligence for this mission…quest…thing." Added Pippin.

Nico rolled his eyes. "Well that certainly rules him out, doesn't it?" He whispered.

"Well that rules you out, Pip." Laughed Merry. The demigods looked at each other, and shook with suppressed laughter.

Elrond looked resigned to the craziness of hobbits. He took a step back. "Thirteen companions. An unlucky number it is true." The Companions stared at each other. _Uh,oh._ Then Elrond added, "Yet, I feel in my heart that this is the right thing to do." The companions breathed a sigh of relief. "You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring." He proclaimed.

"Great!" said Pippin. Annabeth smiled at the excitable hobbit. The hobbit gave everyone a wide smile. "Where are we going?" The demigods facepalmed In unison. Everyone looked at Pippin like _Seriously?._

Percy voiced the thought running through everyone's heads. "We're doomed."

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Yeah! I'm finished with this chapter. I had to rewatch the movie for much of the lines in the Council of Elrond. I'm not sure when I'll be able to update next but don't worry, I have no intention of abandoning this fic. Comment, Suggest, or correct in the reviews! Pjcrazy signing out.


	6. The Road South

**Hey! I'm back! Did everyone enjoy the previous chapter? I got some good reviews, and I am so happy that many people have decided to follow this. I am touched. I would be happier though, if more people reviewed instead of just following it. Come on guys, I'm a new author. I need criticism to improve. Don't worry about hurting my feelings. **

**Anyway, I have a question for you guys. It has come to my attention that chapter two was quite messy, & there were mistakes in speech grouping. ****I was thinking of going back and updating it. Would you like me to do that or concentrate on chapter 7? Please leave your answer in the box!**

**Enjoy the chapter!**

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Percy

Percy walked on the road South with the company. There would be a long journey ahead. Beside him, as always, walked Annabeth. Being the Daughter of Athena, she had packed every possible thing a demigod might need, like ambrosia, nectar, her weapons, Deadalus's laptop, a sleeping roll and three books written in Greek. The bag had been so heavy that Percy had been obliged to lighten her burden. He had gotten a kiss as a reward, so it was worth it.

He glanced forward. Gandalf was leading the company, using his gnarled, twisted staff as a walking stick. A magnificent sword was strapped to his side. Beside him walked Aragorn, Isildur's heir. He still couldn't believe that he had advised a _king _on how to talk to Arwen. , Boromir, the proud (and annoying) steward of Gondor trailed behind them both. Frodo and Sam were also in front of him. He noticed that the accursed ring was on a chain around Frodo's neck. He pitied the young hobbit. He had experienced the tempting power of the ring during the Council, and he had no desire to do so again. He couldn't imagine having it constantly by his side. Frodo was one brave hobbit. He also liked Sam. The sturdy young hobbit had one of the qualities Percy admired most. Loyalty. His devotion to his master was obvious for all to see.

Thalia was on his other side. For once, she was dressed normally. The daughter of Zeus was wearing a simple silver shirt and jacket that Arwen had given her. She had settled on a truce with Arwen, she wouldn't wear her "punk" T-shirts, and Arwen wouldn't give her another dress. Percy smirked at the memory of Thalia in a dress. He really wished he had brought a camera then. Annabeth had looked so beautiful that night though…

Behind him rose the sound of bickering. He groaned. Legolas and Gimli had been at it ever since they left Rivendell. Those two constantly argued about the superiority of elves over dwarves, or vice versa. He would have yelled at them to shut up and make up a long time ago, but Aragorn had counseled him to give them more time. He sighed; they were just like him and Thalia when they had been young. They had grown out of it soon enough, he hoped Legolas and Gimli would hurry up and give them all some peace.

At the tail of the company, Nico was laughing along with the two mischievous hobbits. Percy shook his head with dread. Nico had changed since the Titan War, becoming more open and carefree, and more prone to playing pranks. It was like the time he was before Bianca died. While this had been a welcome change from the Emo Kid he had been, it was still slightly annoying. The two hobbits had also been quite annoying too, tramping all over the place in Rivendell and playing pranks that could rival the Hermes Cabin. Putting the three of them together would only result in disaster.

He was starting to question his decision at coming. Had it been overly rash? Could it be his fatal flaw kicking in? Aragorn had told him he had no obligation to help them, and he had been right. Had he been too impulsive? Had the dream even been real?

#_flashback#_

_That night had been a crazy night. He had had nothing formal to wear, and Aragorn had kindly borrowed him some of his old shirts from his time here as a teenager. Aragorn had then decided to talk to him._

"_I wish to thank you, Perseus. " He said in his quiet voice._

"_Thank me? For what?"_

"_For saving Arwen." He hesitated. "She means a lot to me. I am grateful you helped her escape the Ringwraiths."_

_Percy grinned. He recognized the look in Aragorn's eyes. "So you love her, eh?"_

_Aragorn started in shock. He groaned and covered his face in his hands. "Is it that obvious?"_

_Percy smirked, "Nah, I just know because I have the same look on my face when I think of Annabeth."_

_Aragorn looked at him. "How do you do it? You two are so easy together."_

_Percy shrugged. "We knew each other since we were twelve, we saved each other's lives countless times. I gave up immortality for her. I love her."_

_Aragorn's eyes bugged out. "Immortality? Are you an elf then?"_

_Oh Styx. Shouldn't have mentioned that. "Let's just say I helped out someone real powerful."_

_Aragorn looked at him keenly, then shrugged and sighed. "I also have known her since young. Alas, it is the reverse for me. If she loves me, she will have to give up her immortality."_

_Percy looked at him. "If she truly loves you, she will have no problem with that. I know I didn't."_

"_How would I know if she truly loves me?" groaned Aragorn._

_Percy facepalmed. "Dude, I'm not a child of Aphrodite, but even I know you should just ask her!"_

_They argued for some time, Aragorn finally agreed to confess to Arwen, and Percy walked away, satisfied. _

_The party had been great. The food was strange, but it still tasted good. The elves sang many old epics with voices to rival the Children of Apollo, and one of the highlights was seeing Thalia in a dress. She wore a silver dress that reached to her knees, and looked completely different from the Thalia he knew. He wished he had a camera. Annabeth was just stunning. His jaw had dropped when he saw her in a grey dress that brought out her eyes, and he had trouble forming a coherent sentence. They had danced to many new and strange songs, and later had a walk out in the moonlight. Annabeth had been tired, and Percy walked her to her room like a gentleman. She gave him a goodnight kiss, and he had to return to the gardens to clear his mind. There, he had seen Aragorn and Arwen on a bridge, talking in soft tones. Percy grinned. How romantic. Soon, he witnessed the first kiss between the King of Gondor and the Elf Princess. He really, really wished he had a camera. _

_The good mood ended when he fell asleep. _He was in a dark place_._ A tall black tower was in front of him. And what was on it chilled him to the bones. A great flaming Eye. Lidless, evil. Percy unconsciously reached for Riptide, though he knew it wouldn't do much against It. Behind him, a familiar hiss sounded. _My lord… we have failed you. _The Eye turned his gaze on the wraith behind Percy. Percy got a good look at the things that he had fought before, and immediately wished he hadn't. Nine ghostly pale forms, tall and terrible, knelt before him, speaking to the Eye.

The Eye glared at the wraith. A sinister voice emanated from it. _What. Happened?_ It sounded really pissed off. _I give you a simple mission. Get the Ring. It was simple enough; you would have been practically drawn to it. Yet you failed, not once, not twice but thrice! I trust you have a good reason for returning to me like this._ Percy shuddered. The voice sounded eerily like Kronos had when he had first heard him in Tartarus.

_New things walk the lands of Middle Earth, my lord. A Ranger, tall and strong, who used fire against us. And children who control the very elements themselves. A boy used to waters of the river against us, and forced us to return, having lost our mounts._

The Eye glowered at the wraith. _The horses are a small loss. You shall have better mounts. I give you a new command besides your earlier one. Capture the children you spoke of, and bring them to me. Alive. With the Ringbearer. Now go!" _A harsh shriek pierced the air. Nine black shapes blotted out the moon. Percy gasped. Nine dragon-like beasts stood before him. Each Ringwraith mounted one, and then took off.

The scene changed. He was in another place. There was a lot of fog here. A young man stood before him. He looked like an ordinary man, but he radiated power. Instinctively, Percy drew Riptide "Who are you?" Percy asked.

The man smiled. "I am Lorien, Master of Visions and Dreams. The one who brought you here to Middle Earth."

Percy looked at him. "About that…What do you want with us? Why did you bring us here?"

Lorien gave a slight frown. "I'm sorry, but I cannot tell you, the Vala are forbidden to interfere directly, but I have come to offer you a piece of advice."

Percy looked curiously at him. "Advice? What advice?"

Lorien looked at him. "Tomorrow, join the Fellowship. That is all I can tell you." He seemed to vanish into the fog.

_Abruptly, the dream ended. Demigod dreams suck. The next thing he knew, Annabeth was yelling at him to get ready for the Council._

_#Flashback ends#_

Percy continued walking, lost in his thoughts.

"Seaweed Brain! Over here!" Called Annabeth. Percy then realized that the rest of the company had already stopped to make camp for the night. He smiled sheepishly and sat down next to Annabeth.

"Sorry, I was thinking about the dream I had."

"About that…You still hadn't told us why you volunteered to join." Said a concerned Annabeth.

"You're right, call Nico and Thalia. I'll explain it to them." Percy said, resigned.

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Boromir

Everyone was asleep. The camp was quiet except for the occasional snores from the sleepers. Boromir had offered to take first watch so that everyone could have some rest. In truth, he just wanted some time alone to think.

The Ring.

It consumed him. The desire to take it, the desire to wield it, to become the hero of Gondor, Vanquisher of Sauron. His father would be proud of him, and the people would maybe even crown him as the king. He glanced over at the sleeping form of Aragorn. Isildur's heir. Heir to the throne. The throne that could have been his.

They were all fools. All of them. Mithrandir, Elrond, Aragorn, the elf, the dwarf, the children and even the hobbits. The ring could be their hope of vanquishing Sauron, and they wanted to destroy it. And if that was not enough, they had to go deep into Mordor to destroy it! It would be just like giving the Ring to the Enemy again! Fools! All of them! If only he could take command, he would take the Fellowship to Minas Tirith, the White City, and offer it to his Father. They could use the Ring! And after they had finished with it, then they could throw the ring back to Mordor.

But he could not. He was not the leader. It was Old Mithrandir and Aragorn. He sighed and slumped against the trunk. He had no choice. He would go on with the plan. But if the plan failed, then by Eru! He would have to take things into his own hands.

"Boromir!" Boromir whirled around. Aragorn was awake. Had he heard or guessed his thoughts?

Aragorn studied him carefully. "Your watch is over. You can sleep now."

Boromir nodded his thanks, and climbed into his bedroll. Sleep claimed him immediately.

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Aragorn kept watch, still as a statue, until the first ray of dawn touched his face. He stood up and stretched leisurely, then went around waking the rest of the company. Gandalf and Boromir woke up at the lightest touch. The others took considerably longer. Legolas and Gimli would only wake after a few hefty kicks, and Aragorn was seriously considering throwing a bucket of water over the unwakeable hobbits. The children were also difficult.

"Five more minutes mom." muttered Perseus. Aragorn rolled his eyes, a habit he had picked from the children, and dumped a bucket of water over him. Surprisingly, that did the trick. He seemed very alert, even more than usual. Strange.

"Goway…" groaned Thalia. "M'sleepin". She was given the same treatment.

Nico was unresponsive to the bucket and was only woke after a violent shake. He looked at Aragorn groggily, realized he was soaking wet, and cursed in a language Aragorn had never heard of, but the meaning was abundantly clear.

He tried to shake Annabeth, but as soon as he touched her she was awake and pointing a dagger at his throat. "Whoa, Annabeth, it's me". She calmed down and told him to consider it a warning.

So far, the hobbits were still comatose. Gandalf laughed and whispered something to Aragorn, who groaned with amusement. He proceeded to cook breakfast and sure enough, the hobbits woke at the smell. Hobbits. Always thinking with their stomachs.

They packed up camp quickly and continued on their trek. It was a long, monotonous journey, but the children and the hobbits helped ease the boredom with their jokes. Aragorn picked up a few more gestures from the children. The facepalm, for one. He chuckled. these children really livened an otherwise boring hike. Legolas and Gimli had decided to ignore each other completely. It was really aggravating, the only damper on the good mood today\.

Around midday, they reached a rocky outcrop, where they decided to stop for a rest. Aragorn looked at the two mischievous hobbits, who had taken out their knives and were mock fighting. He beckoned to Boromir. "Hey Boromir, why don't you help the young hobbits with their training? I will spar with the children."

Boromir nodded, and walked towards the young hobbits. He was soon training them in the basic stances, thrusts and parries. Aragorn strode towards the teenagers, who were currently sitting on a rock, watching the sword training.

"he's good." Remarked Perseus to Thalia and Nico, "But he made a mistake there. His left arm was raised to high, leaving that side exposed." Aragorn looked at Boromir and saw that Percy was indeed right. He glanced at Perseus, surprised. Where had he learnt swordplay?

He called out to Perseus. "Would you like to spar with me, Perseus?"

Perseus groaned. "Aragorn, it's just Percy. And yes, I will spar with you." He jumped off the rock.

Aragorn studied Percy. "Where are your weapons? I haven't seen you carry any weapons for the whole trip."

Percy just grinned. He reached into his pocket, and pulled out…a pen? Percy uncapped the pen, and Eru! A sword appeared in his hand! The sword was shaped like a leaf, made of a curious metal that seemed to glow. There was a writing in a strange language on the hilt. It looked very deadly. Then, something else happened. Percy tapped the strange device on his wrist, and it expanded into a round shield with strange designs etched into it. He raised the sword into guard position. "Ready?"

Aragorn raised his sword and nodded. Percy sprang at him. What happened next, Aragorn couldn't remember. He slashed, he parried, he dodged, he rolled, he jumped. It was timeless. Action and reaction. Percy seemed to move with inhuman speed. Whatever he did, Percy seemed to anticipate. Percy was the best swordsman he had come across in many years. He was growing tired, slowly, but Percy looked as fresh as he had just begun. Percy never seemed to waste any energy, never moving five inches to avoid his sword when three inches would do. He tried one last trick and feinted towards the left. Percy immediately spun to the right, as he had intended. Aragorn ran behind Percy and was about to place his sword on the small of Percy's back, claiming the victory when Annabeth screamed. "NO!"

He froze, sword nearly touching Percy, chest heaving with exhaustion. It had been the most intense fight in years. Percy turned around and faced him, Aragorn was shocked to see genuine fear in his eyes. He gave a slight bow, as if acknowledging Aragorn's victory, and slumped on a rock, as if recovering from a near death encounter. Aragorn looked at Annabeth, confused. He hadn't been going to stab Percy, merely to touch him. Annabeth looked at him, her stormy eyes were very intimidating.

"Perseus… I'm sorry for frightening you. I wouldn't have stabbed you. I was only going to touch you." He tried to apologize.

Percy held up his hand. "Don't apologize. You couldn't have known."

"Known what?" he asked.

Annabeth looked at him, analyzing him, then relented. She spoke softly. "A curse protects Percy's body, except for one spot that anchors him to the mortal world. If your sword had even touched Percy there, he would have been dead."

Aragorn was horrified. "I'm sorry."

Annabeth's features softened. "No, Percy's right. You couldn't have known. Just…don't do it again." She walked away.

Aragorn walked over to Percy. "While I almost managed to kill you, I have to admit… You're the best swordsman I've ever met."

Percy nodded and smiled at the compliment. "Thanks."

A yell sounded from Boromir's side. Percy and Aragorn glanced over, then burst into laughter. Boromir had apparently challenged all four hobbits at once, and they were all piled on top of him, yelling war cries. "For the Shire!" Even Gandalf was chuckling at the sight.

Then, Legolas shouted. "Something is coming." Pointing towards the sky. A black cloud was approaching fast, and moving against the wind.

Gandalf yelled. "Hide!"

The company scrambled to find hiding spots for them and their packs. Aragorn watched as everyone found a spot and hid inside. One of the reasons he had chosen this place was because of its abundance of hiding places. Soon, everyone was safely hidden, Then, he spotted something, the bronze dagger belonging to Annabeth was still out there. Annabeth must have seen it too, for she ran outside to retrieve it. Aragorn cursed. She wouldn't be able to grab the dagger _and _find another hiding spot before the cloud arrived. Just as he was about to leap out and catch her, Annabeth vanished. It was as if she had put on a Ring.

Aragorn glanced sharply at Gandalf. He nodded. He too had seen it. What was going on? An invisible body slid into the crack they were hiding in. Annabeth reappeared between them. Aragorn decided to wait until the cloud was gone before he did anything. The cloud arrived. It turned out to be a huge flock of crows that wheeled around, studying the ground below them. After a few tense minutes, the flock flew back in the direction it came from.

"They were flying west." Observed Aragorn.

"Yes… Spies of Saruman, no doubt." Muttered Gandalf.

Aragorn then turned to Annabeth. "How did you turn invisible? Have you stolen a Ring?"

Annabeth stared at him, surprised. "What?"

Aragorn looked at her sternly, "Only a Great Ring can render the wearer invisible."

Annabeth glared at him. "Are you implying that _I _stole the ring? That's ridiculous!"

Gandalf stepped in. "Then tell us, child, how did you disappear?"

Annabeth glared at both of them. "I think I'll keep that to myself."

At that moment, Frodo walked over. "It's alright. The ring is still here. she never stole it."

Aragorn breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at Annabeth. "I'm sorry for accusing you. I was overly hasty. I apologize."

Annabeth sighed. "Alright, I forgive you\. I guess I would have been suspicious too."

Aragorn nodded his thanks. He would have said more, but was interrupted by Gandalf.

"We have to leave now. I'm not sure how much Saruman's spies saw, but it's best to keep on the move."

The Fellowship nodded wearily and continued walking. And walking. And walking.

The Ring was on its way South.

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**So what did you think? Review! **

**Also, I might not be able to update for a couple of weeks, as my mother's taking me to a seminar. But keep your fingers crossed and keep reviewing! I might have time to sneak in one more chapter!**

**PJcrazy signing out.**


	7. The Pass of Caradhras

**Ha! You're lucky. This is the result of two to three days of intermittent typing. A heartfelt thanks to everyone who has read, reviewed, followed or favorited my story. An author sent me a long pm with some great comments about my writing, it really encouraged me. Thanks. **

**I got a couple requests here. For one, I think I need a beta. There are a few errors that I, being Malaysian, might not notice as well as a U.K or U.S reader. If anyone's interested, pm me. Also, I repeat: I need a lot of input. I want to know if people genuinely enjoy this, and I need comments on how to improve. The reason I got this chapter up so early was because of all the great reviews I got. (wink,wink, nudge, nudge) **

**I also noticed some people who have not read the books may be unfamiliar with the terms used. I will try to put a glossary at the end of each chapter.**

**Anyway, on with the story! **

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Frodo

Frodo was tired. They had been walking for nearly a month since the birds have been spotted. The journey had been tiring, the scenery remained unchanging, and Mordor still seemed as far as ever. Legolas and Gimli had not been helping things. As they got closer to the mountains, and the ancient Mines of Moria, the arguing had mounted in intensity. It was driving everyone crazy. But the journey had not been boring, at least. The children (teenagers? Frodo wasn't sure what to call them) and his two cousins certainly kept things lively. Aragorn and Boromir sparred daily with each of the children, and they had all been awed by their impressive skill. Even the youngest, Nico, fought like he had been born to fight. They continually amazed him with their ability to seemingly disguise their weapons as harmless objects. His two cousins had also cracked jokes and played pranks continuously, and kept the journey from becoming too boring. Frodo was thankful for that.

They were now in a small forest glade, resting. Off to the side, Gandalf was talking with Aragorn and Boromir, discussing the best route to proceed. Merry and Pippin were nowhere to be seen, having gone off some time ago with Nico, the new kid. From what he had seen, Nico was just as, if not more mischievous as his cousins, and now they were together, they would probably unleash total and utter chaos on Middle Earth.

He looked around for the rest of the Company. Percy was sitting on a rock, chatting idly with Thalia and Annabeth, seemingly without a care in the world. He envied them. _They _didn't have the burden of the Ring, the weight of the world on their shoulders. Legolas had gone off into the forest to gather some firewood. The wood elf blended in so well into the trees that he seemed to have vanished to moment he walked into the trees. If not for his golden hair, he would have been invisible. Gimli was also nowhere to be seen. The dwarf had been trying for days to convince Gandalf to take the road through the Mines of Moria, who had refused vehemently. The dwarf was probably sharpening his axe and sulking in the forest.

"Mr. Frodo! Would you like something to eat?" asked Sam, offering him a piece of fish. Sam had become the unofficial cook of the Company, as no one else could cook as well as he could. The loyal little hobbit had also seemed to become Frodo's personal bodyguard, never leaving his side for more than ten minutes at a time.

"Thanks, Sam, it looks delicious." Sam beamed at his master's praise, and continued making dinner for the rest of the company. Soon, all of the Fellowship except for Legolas and Gimli were tucking in to a delicious meal.

Frodo looked around the glade. "Everybody's here…Wait, where's Gimli? And Legolas?"

Two earsplitting shrieks split the air. "HELP!"

Aragorn, Gandalf and Boromir shot up at once and ran in the direction of the scream. Frodo hurriedly checked Sting, but its blade was its normal silvery color. Not Orcs then, but what? When the scream died away, identical evil grins split Nico's. Merry's and Pippin's faces, then they burst into hysterical laughter.

Percy facepalmed, then tried to glare (unsuccessfully) at Nico. "What did you do?"

Nico laughed so hard that tears were leaking from his eyes. "Oh, nothing…"

Pippin piped up. "We thought that their constant bickering was getting too annoying, and they needed some alone time to make up."

The children all laughed uproariously, and Frodo couldn't help laughing too. The constant bickering had been getting on their nerves. They deserved this.

Percy laughed and clapped Nico on the back. "So, what did you do?"

"We could have dug a deep hole in the middle of the forest, so deep that even Legolas can't jump his way out. We also might, mind you, _might _have knocked them both out with tree branches and pushed them into the hole. To top it off, we _may _have dropped a note saying we wouldn't let them out until they made up. _Maybe."_Said Merry in a very innocent voice that fooled no one.

Gandalf, Aragorn and Boromir soon returned from the woods. Boromir was wheezing with laughter, Aragorn was also chuckling hard, and Gandalf had an amused twinkle in his eyes. Behind them, Legolas and Gimli emerged, they looked disheveled and dirty, as if they had been wrestling in mud. As one, they shot a death glare at Nico, Merry and Pippin and took out their weapons. The three of them paled and ran screaming into the woods, pursued by a murderous elf and dwarf wielding weapons, to the accompaniment of much laughter from the company.

Frodo soon became worried for his idiotic cousins, he glanced over at the teenagers to see if they were worried for Nico, but they seemed totally calm and continued eating.

"Aren't you worried for them?" asked Frodo.

"Nah, Nick can take care of himself." Laughed Percy,

Suddenly, the shadows near the tree darkened, and spit out Nico and two screaming hobbits. Nico was still laughing so hard that he could barely breathe.

"We ran to the middle of the woods, then I shadow travelled them here. Legolas are Gimli are probably still in the forest, scratching their heads and wondering where we went." He explained to Percy.

Frodo ran to check on his cousins. They had stopped screaming, and were now recounting their adventures. "What happened?" he asked.

"Wailing" muttered Merry

"Screaming" added Pippin

"Dark"

"Going so fast my face nearly peeled off."

"AWESOME!" They both finished.

Percy gave a lopsided grin. "That's what I said."

Gandalf chuckled and told them all to retire for the night. As Frodo curled up in his bedroll, he smiled. This trip might not be so tedious after all. Throughout all the excitement, thoughts of the ring had been pushed far away from his mind.

Around midnight, Frodo awoke to the sound of heavy panting. Legolas and Gimli had returned. They were both so tired that they collapsed on their bedrolls without noticing three frightened pairs of eyes peeking from behind a tree. The three pranksters clapped their hands together, snickered and went to sleep. Frodo grinned. What a night.

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Thalia

Two days later.

Thalia struggled through the snowdrift, cursing in Greek as more snow blew into her face. The wind howled, blinding snow flew everywhere, hail flew from the sky. It was the greatest snowstorm she had ever experienced in her life. This place was crazy. It was summer, for Zeus's sake. Why would there be a blizzard in the middle of summer? This place had obviously forgotten what season it was.

They had arrived at the foot of the mountain range yesterday. According to the old wizard Gandalf, there were three ways across this range. The Mines of Moria, which didn't sound appealing to anyone but Gimli, The Gap of Rohan, which Gandalf was determined to avoid, and the Pass of Caradhras, which they were trying to use now.

The first day had been fine. The snow was deep, but not too deep, probably about waist deep for most of them except for the hobbits and Gimli. The men had to wade through the snow, using their strong arms to push aside the snow, making a small path for the little ones. Percy had experimented for a while, trying to manipulate the water in the snow, but he had only been partly successful. Only Legolas seemed to have no problem. The light-footed elf simply walked over the surface of the snow. Showoff. Thalia had overheard Nico discussing with the hobbits about throwing a snowball at him. Unfortunately, Aragorn had heard too, and he forbade them from trying it. What a pity.

The second day was when the trouble started. The sky darkened suddenly. Clouds converged from all directions above them. A large blizzard had blown in unexpectedly, slowing their progress dramatically. The flying snow stung their faces and burrowed into their clothes, chilling them to the bone. To make it worse, there had been an ominous rumbling in the mountain for hours. Thalia dearly hoped that there wasn't going to be an avalanche.

_To have such a large storm in less than an hour?This isn't natural._ She thought. Legolas confirmed her suspicions.

"There is a fell voice in the air." He muttered.

Now that he mentioned it, she heard it too. A voice was chanting something, repeating something over and over again. _Someone is behind this! Someone is trying to kill us!_ She realized.

"It is Saruman!" yelled Gandalf. Apparently, he had heard it too. He raised his staff and started chanting also, a counterspell, probably. It didn't seem to be working.

Thunder rumbled. Hail started falling. The blizzard seemed to double in strength.

"He's trying to bring down the mountain!" yelled Aragorn. He was desperately gathering the hobbits to himself, as if trying to shield them. Thalia really admired his bravery.

"Thalia!" she whirled to find Percy behind her. His face was grim with determination.

Percy grasped her arm. "We have to stop this. Together."

She realized what he was saying and nodded. "Together."

They both raised their arms and concentrated, shutting out everything around them. Thalia focused on the winds. She was the Daughter of Zeus, King of the sky. The winds will obey her. She focused hard, and the wind started slowing, the sky started to lighten. With Percy's help, they were slowing the storm. She smiled. The power of the daughter of Zeus and the son of Poseidon, working together was formidable indeed. They should do this more often. The winds slowed. The snow, instead of flying into their faces, was compacting into a shield of ice before them. More snow blew into the icy wall, but it merely strengthened it. Thalia was exhilarated. They were doing it!

Soon, a curved wall of ice had formed, A half-dome of compacted snow, providing a shelter from the winds. Thalia released the winds and sank to the ground with relief, Percy right beside her. That act had really drained them. Annabeth and Nico ran up to them. Annabeth took out a few squares of ambrosia and offered them to her. The rest of the Fellowship seemed to be in shock.

"Thanks, Annie." She croaked. Annabeth shot her a mock glare, then gave some ambrosia to Percy.

"Thanks, Wise Girl," he smiled.

Annabeth kissed him. "I knew you could do it."

Nico looked green. "I appreciate you saving us and all, but get a room!"

Percy grinned at him, then glanced at Thalia. "We should do this more often. " She agreed wholeheartedly.

Thalia's gaze wandered to the rest of the company. Gandalf seemed to have recovered. He walked over and looked at them in amazement. "How…How did you do that?" How was she to answer that?

Percy answered for her. "Later, we'll explain everything. For now, we have to decide. Do we continue along the Pass or go by some other way?" She had to smile. Kelp Head was so dense sometimes, but other times, he could surprise all of them.

Gandalf looked troubled. "I had been considering going through the Pass, but Saruman is evidently getting too powerful. We cannot risk going further. We have only earned a temporary reprieve. " As if to prove his point, the mountain rumbled again. Gandalf sighed. "We shall have to go another way."

Boromir stood up. "Why not use the Gap of Rohan?"

Aragorn looked at him. "The Gap of Rohan takes us too close to Isengard. Do you think it would be wise to go near Saruman? Especially while he's so powerful?"

Boromir sighed and sat down. "Well, do you have any better plans?" He challenged.

Gimli stood up. Legolas groaned. "We should go through the mines of Moria!" said Gimli, shooting Legolas a glare. Since the incident with the Terrible trio, the elf and the dwarf had actually become more civil, from total enemies to …sort of partners, but they still fought occasionally.

Gandalf tapped his staff on the floor. "Let the Ringbearer decide." He looked at Frodo, who seemed deep in thought.

Frodo closed his eyes. "We shall go through the mines." He said reluctantly. Gimli did a little victory dance. The rest of the company simply looked glum.

Gandalf closed his eyes. "So be it."

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Percy

Percy walked down the mountain tiredly, half leaning on Annabeth. Holding the storm had taken a lot more energy than he had expected. The wizard Saruman was evidently not someone to be messed with. As he looked back, the mountain rumbled, and a boulder fell down, crashing through the shelter of ice he had made. The blizzard calmed down immediately, and the mountain looked as calm and peaceful as before. Saruman was probably gloating over his victory now. But he suspected they wouldn't be let off so easily. Saruman didn't seem the sort of person who did things by halves. He would have probably sent someone after them. They would have to move fast.

#_Dream#_

_Percy stood in a tower. A tall, black squarish tower with four spikes on top. There was a circular wall around the tower. Out on the grounds, There were huge fiery caverns. Monsters, huge ogres which looked like a bigger version of the Laistrygonians worked at the forges, creating weapons and shields._

_In a small room in the tower, there was a black throne, and a raised dais in the centre of the tower. An old man dressed completely in white and holding a white staff stood at the dais, holding a glass sphere. Percy floated over to the sphere, trying to see what was inside._

_The Eye. The same fiery eye that had haunted his dreams not so long ago stared out from the sphere. The old man spoke to it. "Master, I have succeeded in blocking off the Pass of Caradhras. They will not go through there."_

"_Excellent. What is the old fool doing?" _

"_Gandalf has decided to lead them into the Mines of Moria, My Lord."_

_The eye seemed to be lost in thought. "I will send one of the Nazgul to wake the Watcher in the Water. If it fails, the Nazgul will kill them. In the rare event that my servant fails to kill them, send some orcs to wait at the other side."_

"_Yes, my Lord."_

_#Dream ends#_

Two hard days of walking took them back to the foot of the mountain. Four days wasted. Gandalf begin discussing with Gimli about the exact location of this Moria. Apparently, from what Legolas had told him, the mines used to be a magnificent palace, which even the elves had respected. It had been an amazing place, caverns of gold, diamonds, precious stones and mithril, it was the pride of the dwarves. But as the dwarves grew mightier and richer, they delved ever deeper and woke an ancient evil, which had killed all the dwarves there. Ever since then, the Mines have been infested by orcs.

Percy shuddered. A dark mine full of evil things? Why was Gandalf even considering it? The company was visibly apprehensive, with the exception of Gimli, who continued boasting about the wonders of Moria. Even the Terrible Trio seemed subdued, which took a lot to do.

Finally, Gandalf led them to a small clearing. In front of them was a sheer rock face covered with vines and moss. Behind them was a huge dark lake. The ground was smooth paved stone with no grass growing. There was no sign of any life. Gandalf seemed sure that this was the place, and so they had settled down to wait. According to him, dwarf doors were well hidden, and not even their makers can find them again if they forget the location. They had to wait until night for the moon to reveal the door.

It had been five hours now. The sun was setting slowly, very slowly. Hour after hour slipped by. Percy couldn't sit still. He fidgeted, checked his pockets, twirled Riptide around, tapped his foot and ran hands through his hair. Stupid ADHD. The hobbits were having a hard time sitting still, too. Pippin caught up a rock and threw it into the water. It skipped across the surface and sank. Ripples fanned through the dark water. Suddenly, Percy sensed something. A consciousness, old and malevolent, in the water. Something very large. He shuddered and grabbed the arm of the hobbit.

"Don't disturb the water." He warned ominously. Something was stirring beneath the waves. His tone was enough to convince the hobbit of the danger.

Uneasy, he shifted far away from the water and warned the rest of the Fellowship. "There is something in the water. Do not go near it. There's something evil."

The Fellowship scooted as far away from the water as possible, watching it uneasily for any disturbances. Aragorn exchanged a worried look with Boromir. Their hands went to their swords. The time passed slowly, and nothing happened. Percy started to relax. Maybe the thing wasn't interested in attacking them after all. The moon rose high into the cloudless night sky, casting a silvery bright light on everything.

Gandalf stood and walked over to the door. He started chanting and feeling the wall with his hands. Suddenly, bright lines of blue light appeared. The lines of light raced across the stone, luminous veins of silver tracing intricate patterns: a star, an anvil, trees, intricate lines of elvish writing. It formed a glowing arch of interlacing letters and symbols. Percy stood, slack-jawed. The rest of the Fellowship seemed to have similar reactions.

Gandalf translated the elvish runes. "The Doors of Durin, Lord of Moria, Speak, Friend, and enter."

"What do you suppose that means?" asked Merry.

Gandalf answered confidently. "It's very simple. If you are a friend, you speak the password and enter." He raised his staff and tapped on the stone. He said a grand command in elvish. A chill wind blew, and the doors did...nothing. Percy stared at Gandalf quizzically. Gandalf sighed and sat down, muttering spells under his breath and trying to find the opening password. Thalia smacked her forehead.

Gimli trudged over to Gandalf and they started talking. Legolas strung and unstrung and unstrung his bow. Sam said a tearful goodbye to his pony. Percy contacted the pony with his mind and gave it a blessing for a safe journey. The hobbits, Thalia and Nico played a card game. Percy wondered where the cards came from. Boromir and Aragorn were still on edge, their swords half out of their sheaths. Annabeth was staring at the doors, a look of fierce concentration on her face. Percy went and sat beside her.

"What's on your mind, Wise Girl?" he asked.

Annabeth stared at the Inscriptions on the door. She mumbled "Speak, Friend and enter...Speak friend and enter". Suddenly, a look of total comprehension dawned on her face. "speak FRIEND and enter! It's a riddle! Gandalf! What's the elvish word for friend?"

Gandalf stared at Annabeth with a look of total shock and admiration. A look of understanding dawned. He laughed, " of course! MELLON!" There was a great crack. The doors opened slowly, a large, dark cavern was revealed.

Percy grinned at Annabeth. "You're a genius!"

Before Annabeth could reply, though, something happened. The shriek of a Ringwraith sounded. A dark dragonlike shape hovered in the darkness.

"Watcher! Awake!" It shrieked. Suddenly, the lake was churning, something was coming up. The Nazgul then flew away, satisfied.

"Take cover!" He screamed. " Boromir! Take the Ringbearer and the hobbits to safety! Legolas, aim for his eyes! Annabeth, Nico, run! Thalia, cover me!" To his surprise, they obeyed instantly, perhaps recognizing the note of authority in his voice.

Percy watched the lake churn. A tentacle shot out, then another, then another. The tentacles snaked around, trying to grab something. A monstrous head emerged. It was some kind of giant octopus! He tried to contact it with his mind, then recoiled. Its mind was too ancient, too malevolent to grasp. No choice then. He would have to destroy it.

A bolt of lightning lanced through the sky and struck the octopus' head. Arrows flew from behind Percy towards the eyes of the monster. Percy shut them all out, reaching for the water, bending it to his will. What he was about to do was going to be the riskiest and hardest thing he had ever done, but he had done it before, in a river, he could do this.

The water floated up in a gigantic blob. Slowly, Percy emptied the lake, ignoring all the gasps of astonishment behind him. Soon, the lake was completely lifted above the monster. The monster seemed to gasp and wheeze at the absence of the water it needed. Percy's arms shook at the strain. The water was heavy. Percy wrapped the water in ropes around the monster, and nodded to Thalia. She understood immediately and summoned a bolt of lightning. The lightning hit the watery rope and was instantly conducted through its length. The monster hissed in pain as it was slowly electrified. The monster was dying.

Percy released the water. The water crashed on top of the monster, and Thalia added another bolt of lightning for good measure. A smell of burned flesh reeked, and the monster disappeared below the waves. Percy smiled and fainted.

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Gandalf

Gandalf was in shock. He knew that the children were powerful. He had seen them use their powers occasionally. The incident in the Pass had proved they were very powerful, but this totally boggled his mind. Annabeth ran over and grabbed Percy's limp form, along with Nico and Thalia. Gandalf walked over to the group, intending to question them.

He never got there. There was an earsplitting shriek, and the Nazgul swooped down, sword extended, ready to kill them all. The Ringwraith's evil presence filled them all with fear. Weakened as they were, they would not be able to win this battle. There was only one escape route. Gandalf dreaded to use it, but there was no choice.

"Into the Mines!" he yelled.

The Fellowship obeyed, slowly retreating into the cavern. Legolas and Thalia shot a steady stream of arrows to cover their retreat. Once they were all safely in the cavern, they began to relax. Suddenly, the head of the Dragon poked into the cavern, its beady eyes filled with hatred. The hobbits screamed in terror. Before anyone else reacted, Annabeth reached into her backpack and brought out a glowing green jar. What was that?

"Everybody duck!" She yelled. Duck? What duck? Gandalf soon got the message, though, when she flung the jar at the Nazgul with all her might. He crouched down behind a rock, wondering what it would do.

**BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!**

The entire cavern rocked at the force of the blast. Rocks fell. Shrapnel flew. Dust clouded the air. The cavern shook for many minutes. A bright green light flash lit up the entire cavern, then it was plunged into darkness. Total darkness. So dark if you held out your hand you couldn't see it in front of you.

Outside, the frustrated shriek of the Nazgul sounded, then the noise of beating wings faded away.

"What was that stuff?" a voice sounded in the dark. Perengrin Took.

"Greek fire. Very dangerous." Annabeth replied.

"Can we have some light?" Grumbled Thalia.

"What the Hades just happened?" came a groggy voice. Percy must have woken up.

Gandalf stroked the top of his staff and whispered a few words. The top of his staff started to glow with a soft blue light.

"We have but one choice. We must face the long dark of Moria." He sighed. Only Gimli seemed thrilled by the prospect.

He then remembered something and pointed his gnarled staff at the four children, catching them in the spotlight. "You," he said in a stern voice that brooked no argument, "Have a lot of explaining to do."

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**Oooooh, a cliffhanger...**

**This was a very fun chapter to write. I hope you liked the increased action. Percy and Co. Are in so much trouble... hee hee.**

**Btw, i have a question for all you loyal readers... Should Boromir die? I hated him at first but i felt he redeemed himself in the end. I now have the power to change the storyline, or shall i keep it canon? Leave your answer in the review!**

**I still have the seminar to attend, so don't expect another update so soon. Reviews encourage me to write faster though, ya know...**

**PJcrazy signs out.**


	8. The Mines of Moria

**Hello guys! The next episode is here! I had initially planned to leave this till next week but I got so many great reviews I just had to write. When is sat at the computer, the story just flowed out.**

**Thanks to all the people who reviewed my story. You all made my day.**

**Thanks to all the people who followed my story. You don't know what it means to me that someone is interested enough to follow my story.**

**Thanks to all the people who favorite my story. You mad me very very happy.**

**Finally, thanks to all the people who have read my story. Just the fact that you read it makes me happy. Drop a review if you like it. it's no trouble and it encourages me.**

**Anyway, on with the tale!**

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Annabeth

The Mines of Moria

Gandalf glared at them with his thick, bushy eyebrows raised and pointed his staff at the four of them. "You," he said in a stern voice, "Have a lot of explaining to do." He

_Oh Styx. _She glanced around at the company. Through the long journey, they had all bonded, and she now had started to trust them. _Maybe it's time…_

Percy sat up a little groggily. "Alright… You deserve to know the truth." He nodded to Annabeth and the other two. "But, he warned, you have to swear to keep it to yourselves and not to tell anyone else. This is our greatest secret, and if the wrong ears hear of this, we will be in great danger." He looked everyone in the eyes steadily. To Annabeth's surprise, they all managed to hold his stare.

Percy nodded wearily to Annabeth. "Tell them."

Annabeth sighed and met Gandalf's concerned eyes. "The truth is, we're not from around here."

Aragorn let out a chuckle. "That is clear for all to see."

Annabeth glared at him. "I mean, we're not from Middle Earth at all."

Legolas sat up in interest. "Are you from Valinor then? Or the Grey Havens?"

Thalia answered for her. "Nope," popping the p , "Never even heard of them. We're from another world."

Gandalf's jaw dropped. It was quite comical, but such was the gravity of the situation that no one, not even the hobbits laughed. "Then… where are you from?"

"A place we call earth." Answered Percy. "It is different from your world. There are no wizards, dwarves or elves. Most of the people there are humans. We were called into your world through a doorway that was created by a guy named _Lorien_."

Gandalf gasped. "The Vala called you here? What are you? Who are you?" He broke off, eyes staring into space, as if trying to make sense of this.

_Vala? _Annabeth had to ask. "are the Vala your gods?"

Gandalf stroked his beard thoughtfully. "In a way… They govern the rules of Middle Earth, but they rarely intervene directly in our affairs."

Annabeth explained. "In our world… there are also gods of a sort. They govern the aspects of Earth too, such as the sky, the sea, the underworld. Their realms also include war, wisdom, love and the forge. They too, are not allowed to intervene in human affairs directly, but once in a while… they would come to earth and…" she glanced at Percy for help.

Percy obliged. "Have children with mortals." She nodded gratefully at him.

Gandalf's eyes looked like they were going to fall out. "You are one of them? The child of a god and a mortal?" He looked like he was going to have a heart attack.

Percy grinned, stood up and held out his arms theatrically. "Half god, half boy, all hero." He gave a sweeping bow. "Demigod, at your service."

Annabeth rolled her eyes at his dramatics. The rest of the Fellowship seemed to be looking at them in a new light. She hoped they wouldn't be scared away by these revelations. Hopefully, they would accept them for who they were.

Pippin held up his hand like a student in a class. "What's a demigod?" Annabeth rolled her eyes while Thalia facepalmed.

"A demigod is a hero who has a mortal and Godly parent. Sometimes, we inherit some of our Godly parent's characteristics and powers." Annabeth clarified.

Aragorn looked Percy over in a new light. "Who's your Godly parent?

Percy levitated a blob of water from a cup and shaped it into a trident. "Poseidon, Earthshaker, Stormbringer, God of the Seas." He grinned at their shocked faces.

Thalia stood up next. "I'm the daughter of Zeus, King of the skies and Master of Lightning and wind." She expanded her spear and it crackled with electricity. The smell of ozone filled the air.

"Hades, God of the underworld, Richest god, Lord of the dead." said Nico, not bothering to rise. He raised a hand. A small pile of bones near him reformed into a skeletal mouse that scampered around for a few minutes before falling apart to a pile of bones again. Merry and Pippin looked at him with a new respect.

Annabeth finished. "I'm a daughter of Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, Crafts and Battle Strategy." She took out Deadalus' laptop and showed them its features. "This was designed by a child of Athena."

The Fellowship seemed frozen by these new revelations. Annabeth was half-afraid they would then reject them. It would not be the first time someone had left her in her life. There was an uncomfortable silence.

Aragorn broke it, to Annabeth's relief. "Well, I thank you for coming to assist us, great heroes." He spoke with a new respect in his voice. Annabeth hated just wanted them to treat them like normal.

Percy then smirked at Aragorn. "We are also greatly honored to travel with you, O King of Gondor, Steward of Gondor, The Grey Pilgrim, Elf Prince of Mirkwood, Honored Dwarf and brave hobbits." he winked at Annabeth.

Aragorn looked taken aback, then laughed and clapped Percy on the back. "I see we are all in the presence of great people."

Thalia smirked. "On the other hand, it would be nice to be treated like royalty."

Annabeth smacked her lightly. She glanced at the rest of the Fellowship. "Come on guys, we're still your friends. We were already friends before you knew about this. Why should everything change?"

Percy nudged her, "Nicely said, Wise Girl."

The fellowship relaxed and started talking normally again, albeit with a tinge of newfound respect. Annabeth sighed. They would always be treated like this now. Annabeth resigned herself to her fate in this land.

The awkwardness ended when Nico dropped a firecracker on the floor, startling the hell out of everyone. Everyone had to laugh at this, and soon they were part of the fellowship again, as the fellowship decided nothing had changed. Annabeth had never been so grateful for Nico's pranks before.

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Time lapse

Two days later

Annabeth sighed. It had been two days since they had entered the mines. It was a dark and forbidding place. There were caverns, enormous, grand caverns and rooms piled high with gold and silver, but nobody had been tempted to pick anything up. The caverns were dark and cold, and there was no life inside. The floor was covered in a thick layer of dust. Every step brought a cloud of dust streaming through the air. Ominous piles of bones were piled haphazardly along the path, and there were cobwebs everywhere. Annabeth had screamed when she saw the first spider peeking at her, and she had to get Percy to kill it. There was a foul stench in the air. The entire mood of the company had gone from subdued to just glum. Even Gimli was not looking happy. There was something about walking in the everlasting darkness of the Mines that discouraged speech and happiness. Legolas' words rang in their ears. _This is not a mine…It is a tomb. _

They had now stopped for the night. There was no fire, as no wood could be found, so the company had to eat dinner cold. The fellowship stared at an unappealing dinner of cucumbers and apples. The only light came from Gandalf's glowing staff, which Annabeth was determined to examine later to see how it worked, and Riptide. The celestial bronze sword gave off a faint glow that didn't light up much, but it was still comforting to see light, any light. Looking around, she saw everybody looked thoroughly unhappy. Only Percy and Nico were smiling. No, they were _grinning. _Annabeth wondered just what they were planning to make them grin like that.

Suddenly, Nico closed his eyes and raised his arms. a rectangular, flat section of the floor rose to waist height. Percy went over to the raised area of rock and took out something from his bag. Annabeth recognized it as the portable radio he had brought to the picnic. Annabeth was surprised. _He's been carrying it all this while? The picnic was ages ago. _Percy took out a disc and inserted it. A familiar song started playing, but there were no words. Percy grinned at the Fellowship's confused faces, then snatched up a cucumber from his plate, jumped on the "stage" and started singing in a tenor voice.

_**Woke up in the Darkness of the Mines**_

_Oh Gods, what were they doing?_ Annabeth wondered, mentally facepalming. Percy continued singing.

_**What's up with all the gloom on your faces?**_

_**Cheer up, we're gonna have some fun right now…**_

_**Cause it's always a good time**__._

Percy grinned and threw the cucumber to Nico, who took a bite and continued singing happily.

_**Slept in a dark hole like I didn't care**_

_**Gandalf's leading us, take us anywhere,**_

_**I'm in if you want to have some fun, Let's go!**_

_**Cause it's always a good time**_

Percy and Nico stopped and stared at Annabeth pleadingly, holding out the cucumber. She groaned. _why_? Percy looked at her with his puppy dog face she could never resist. She rolled her eyes and accepted the cucumber, then sang.

_**Good morning and good night**_

_**Nobody can stop us**_

_**It's gonna be alright**_

_**everybody lighten up, **_

_**Cause it's always a good time**_

**The boys joined in and sang**

_**Whoa…oh uh oh.**_

_**It's always a good time,**_

_**Whoa….oh uh oh**_

_**We don't even have to try, **_

_**it's always a good time.**_

By this time, grins had appeared on all the hobbit's faces. Legolas was quietly chuckling and Gimli had a broad smile on his face. Boromir was shaking quietly with suppressed laughter and even Aragorn and Gandalf had slight smiles on their faces. Annabeth grinned, it's working!

Then, to Annabeth's shock, Thalia snatched up another cucumber and started singing.

_**Freaked out, lost my way in the mines again,**_

_**Walked for some miles, I really need a rest**_

_**I'm so freaking bored I just need to sing,**_

_**It's always a good time.**_

Percy and Nico laughed at her choice of lyrics, gave her a thumbs up and continued to sing

_**Good morning and Good night**_

_**It's all the same here**_

_**It's gonna be all right**_

_**We're gonna get outta here, **_

_**It's always a good time!**_

The demigods chorused gleefully.

_**Whoa…oh uh oh, Whoa..o..o **_

_**It's always a good time**_

_**Whoa…oh uh oh,**_

_**Everybody lighten up**_

_**It's always a good time**_

The hobbits had gotten the hang of the song. They picked up makeshift microphones and jumped onto the "stage", and joined in with much laughter.

_**Whoa…oh uh oh, whoa..o..o**_

_**It's always a good time,**_

_**Whoa..oh uh oh, **_

_**We're gonna kick Sauron's ass**_

_**We're gonna have a good time!**_

Percy and Nico then jumped up and sang loudly.

_**Doesn't matter when, it's always a good time then**_

Annabeth and Thalia continued singing.

_**Doesn't matter where, it's always a good time there**_

The demigods and hobbits chorused together loudly.

_**Doesn't matter when, it's always a good time there**_

Then shouted the last line

_**It's always a good time!**_

By this time, the whole company had grins plastered onto their faces, even Gandalf was chuckling at their antics. The music continued. Annabeth watched in amusement as Nico pulled both Aragorn and Boromir up and pushed them towards the makeshift stage. They laughed and got on good- naturedly and sang the last chorus heartily, both with bass voices.

_**Whoa…oh uh oh, Whoa…o..oh**_

_**It's always a good time,**_

_**Whoa…oh uh oh**_

_**We're gonna go kick Sauron's ass**_

_**It's always a good time**_

Annabeth watched as Percy and Nico glanced around, satisfied. There were smiles on all of the Fellowship's faces, and the mood was one of laughter and amusement. Even the darkness didn't seem as dark and menacing as before. She walked over to Percy and kissed his cheek. "Good job, Seaweed Brain."

Nico looked wounded. "What about me?"

Annabeth laughed and gave him a friendly shove. "Nope, but I have to admit, you two did great."

Percy smirked and hi-fived Nico. "We rock."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Gandalf stand up. "Many thanks for the entertainment tonight, but we must be moving on." _Great, more walking._

The Fellowship stood up and continued through the dark. The Mines were still as dark and forbidding as ever, but there were smiles on every member's face.

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Gimli

The mines

Gimli looked around at the dark caverns. _What went wrong? This place has changed. Where is my cousin Balin? He had come to claim the mines months ago. Where are all the dwarves? What has happened?_ Questions rolled in his head.

As Gimli walked, he desperately looked around for signs of life. He saw none. What he saw, though, was disturbing. Orc bones mingled among dwarf bones. Dried blood was plastered onto the walls. Weapons and shields were strewn on the ground. Orc arrows littered the floor, along with broken shields of dwarf design. _This is bad._ Suddenly, he had no desire at all to stay any longer in the mines.

But something worse seemed to have happened. Gandalf stood between two passages, seemingly unsure of the way. Was he lost? Gimli watched as Gandalf sat down with a sigh. "Gandalf… which way do we go now?" he asked tentatively.

Gandalf lowered his head. "I do not remember the way." Gasps of horror elicited from the rest of the company.

"You mean we're stuck here?" asked Thalia incredulously. "you don't know the way out?"

Gandalf sighed. "No. I came through here a few years ago, but it was from the other side. I do not know which passage to take." He raised his head. "let us rest here for a while, and I will try to find the way out."

The fellowship sat down and began to make camp. The two young hobbits started looking for something to eat.

Suddenly, Frodo started. "There is something down there."

Gimli turned and peered into the darkness behind him. He could just make out a pair of shining green orbs that disappeared in an instant. He gasped and fingered the haft of his axe. "I see it."

A yawn came from behind him. Nico barely opened his eyes. "You only just noticed? He's been following us for days."

Gandalf sighed. "It is Gollum."

Gimli was confused. _Gollum?_

"What's a Gollum?" asked Nico.

Gandalf glanced over. "A creature that has been corrupted by the ring. The ring drove him mad. He now craves it, and will stop at nothing to get it."

Thalia peered over and strung her bow. "It's a clear shot. Want me to plug him with a few arrows?"

"Yes… that thing makes my skin crawl. It does not belong here." muttered Gimli.

"No!" said Gandalf forcefully. "Many that live deserve death, and some that die deserve life. Who are you to decide it for them? Can you give it to them?" Do not be too eager to deal out death in

judgement. Even the very wise cannot see all ends. My heart tells me that Gollum may have some part to play yet, for good or for ill, before everything is over."

Thalia frowned, then nodded reluctantly and shouldered her bow. Gimli sighed. Frodo walked over to Gandalf, and started discussing something in low tones. Gimli caught snatches of the conversation. "Smeagol…pity… kill…decide…time…" Nothing much. Gimli sat down and for want of nothing better to do, started polishing his axe.

"Are you done all lazing around? We can't stay here forever, you know…" called Nico, standing up.

Gandalf stared at him. "I do not know the way out yet, we cannot take paths out of chance. This is folly."

Nico rolled his eyes and pointed to the left exit. "That way's the exit. It leads across a large hall to a corridor leading to many rooms." He furrowed his brow in concentration. "There are a couple of stairways and a long bridge, then you'll reach the exit." He folded his arms and stared at them with a smug look on his face.

Gandalf and Gimli's jaws dropped. Aragorn raised an eyebrow in surprise. Boromir spluttered with astonishment. Legolas looked at him curiously, while the hobbits grinned broadly. Percy, Annabeth and Thalia laughed and clapped Nico on the back, then shouldered their packs and headed towards the left tunnel.

Percy paused and glanced backwards. "You guys coming?"

Gandalf threw a questioning look at Gimli. Gimli shrugged, "What he says corresponds exactly to a description of the Mines Balin sent us." Gandalf's eyes widened, then he nodded and followed them.

Gimli walked in awe among the great columns of the Great Hall of Moria. Long lines of thick stone pillars lined the hall, each pillar as thick as an old tree, intricately carved with patterns. This was amazing. He was walking in the home of his ancestors.

He closed his eyes, then opened them, imagining the splendor of the Hall in the days when Moria was still great. Torches set on the pillars, casting a cheery yellow light on the hall, Huge diamonds, rubies, sapphires set into the wall; mounds of gold, silver and mithril ore being forged into beautiful jewelry, the marble floor sparkling, roaring fires over which huge carcasses roasted, and hundreds of dwarves, talking, sitting, eating, having fun… Moria…Moria…Palace of the Dwarves.

But when he opened his eyes, the dark, empty hall greeted him. Dusty marble floor, an oppressive darkness, a cold, chill atmosphere, bones, cobwebs… this was a tomb. A reminder that Moria was gone. Nevermore would the dwarves ever return. Balin must have failed in his conquest of Moria. Gimli shed a tear for his people's fall.

"Gimli!" Boromir called. Gimli shook himself out of his trance. The Fellowship was almost at the other end of the hall, waiting for him. He wiped away the tear and walked towards the Fellowship. Then, he frowned. Behind the company, the two hobbits were sneaking off into the shadows suspiciously, holding something small in their hands.

Gimli pointed at the two troublemakers. "What have they taken this time?" The two hobbits froze. Gimli suddenly nearly had a heart attack. Through their hands, he could see an electric green glow. He gulped "Tell me that's not the same thing Annabeth used to seal the door."

Annabeth hurriedly looked in her backpack and let out a shriek. "One of the glass spheres of Greek Fire is gone!"

Everybody froze in horror and glared at the two hobbits. Annabeth took out a dagger and said in a deathly calm voice. " . ."

The two hobbits gulped and walked forward slowly. "We just wanted to have something to defend ourselves with…" muttered Pippin.

Then, the worst possible thing happened. Pippin tripped. The glass orb filled with an electric green mixture flew out of his hands… straight towards the Fellowship of the Ring.

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**Lalalalala I could end the story here and give you all a heart attack…. Byeeeeeeeee. Review more and I'll update faster!**

**PJcrazy signing out.**

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"**Sees readers coming for him holding torches, pitchforks and machine guns. Raises hands in protest Joking! Joking! I'm not that mean to you guys… "laughs maniacally."**

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Nico

Nico watched as the green ball of death flew towards them. He was frozen in place._ I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'll see my father earlier than expected then…_ He considered trying to raise a stone wall to shield them, but there was no time. They were all going to die, just because of two hobbit's stupidity. He ignored the screams and gasps from the company behind him. He sighed. Their quest was in vain then.

Time seemed to slow down for him. He looked around for his friends, hoping to catch a last glance at them before he died. He sure hoped they would all achieve Elysium. Gandalf looked like he was trying to prepare a magical shield, but his defeated face showed his despair. Aragorn was leaping forward, perhaps trying to shield the two terrified hobbits, Frodo and Sam with his body. Boromir raised his shield, which even he realized was a useless gesture. Legolas and Gimli were just frozen in place, a expression of pure shock on their faces. Nico looked at the two troublemakers. He mouthed "I forgive you" he didn't want them to feel guilty forever. He looked at his friends. Annabeth, the daughter of Athena, was for once at wits end. She was hugging Percy tightly, as if finding comfort in him. Percy had closed his eyes and was hugging Annabeth, his expression resigned. Nico glanced over at Thalia….

Thalia seemed to be the only one moving. She raised her arms, shield and spear extended and screamed "Winds! Air! Obey me!"

Time sped up again. The Greek Fire Grenade flew towards them, closing fast. Suddenly, a huge gust of wind exploded from Thalia. The grenade was blown off course, and it flew way back into the hallway.

**BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!**

As before, the explosion rocked the caves, then faded. Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief, which suddenly turned to groans again. The cavern started shaking, and Nico realized that the pillars were collapsing. They were going to die again. Then, his eyes hardened with determination. A new resolve shone in his eyes. _Not if I can help it._

"Annabeth!" he screamed. "Tell me the weakest points in the structure!"

Annabeth looked surprised, then realized his plan and hurriedly pointed to a pillar at the far end. "There!"

Nico concentrated. Black stone rose like mud from the floor, and started wrapping around the pillar, holding it, strengthening it. The stone then hardened, forming a sleeve of black stone.

Annabeth pulled his hand, leading him to the weakest spots in the Hall, which he patched up with new stone as fast as he could. Chaos. The entire world was rumbling and falling. Patching up pillars, finding new ones. Patching, finding, patching, finding. By the 8th pillar, he was getting exhausted. He couldn't keep this up much longer. At the 9th pillar, he was about to collapse. Still, he continued looking for weak spots.

Then, he felt Annabeth grasp his shoulders."It's done, Nico. You did it. The Hall is safe."

They returned to the rest of the company, who were visibly shaking from their near-death experience. Gandalf was yelling at the two hobbits. "Fool of a Took! Next time, blow yourself up and rid us of your stupidity. And you too, Brandybuck!" He glared at the two ashamed hobbits, then sat down on the ground. Merry and Pippin fainted from the shock.

Aragorn surveyed the Hall and whistled in appreciation. He walked over to Thalia and Nico and knelt. "We owe you our lives." Boromir, Legolas and Gimli soon joined him.

Nico gave a slight smile, "Hey, no need for thanks."

He elbowed Thalia. She rolled her eyes at him and smiled. "No trouble at all."

Nico looked around the damaged hall. "We're safe."

As usual, he spoke to soon.

_**Boom. **_Nico shot up. "What was that?!" Weapons were pulled out to the Fellowship's hands instantly. Nico looked around, but even with his night vision, things were still dark and murky.

_**Boom.**_

Nico noticed Gandalf's and Frodo's blade starting to glow with a blue light. _Orcs. _The fellowship gathered into a circle, weapons facing out, backs pressed against each other, protecting the two unconscious hobbits.

_**Boom.**_

The door at the other end of the hall shook. Nico tensed, his Stygian Iron sword and shield raised. He was ready. Legolas and Thalia trained their bows on the far side of the hall.

_**Boom.**_

The door shook again and again. Something was pushing against it. He noticed Annabeth shimmering into invisibility. Good idea. He bent the shadows around him to his will, making him practically invisible.

_**Boom.**_

The door burst open. A horde of monsters streamed out. Nico didn't recognizes any of them. They looked like a mix between ogres and giants, each holding clubs, bows and swords. The first wave of orcs fell instantly, arrows sprouting from chinks in their armor. The second wave charged towards them.

_**Boom.**_

Contact. Fighting. slicing arms, legs, heads. The next few hours passed in a blur. He hacked at anything in front of him. He shadow traveled behind the enemy, stabbing at their unprotected backs. He shadow traveled constantly, catching dozens of orcs by surprise. The darkness also worked to his advantage. It wrapped around him and hid him so well that no orc could see him coming until he was nearly on top of them. Slice, block, shadow travel, stab, dodge, hack. Blend into shadows, ambush. Plunge blade into orcs' necks. Twist, lunge, parry. Voices came into his head. Percy's voice, from his training at camp. _Dodge! You idiot! Good one, now twist! Lunge, parry, oooh,wrong footwork there, jump! Slide. Travel! Stab! Don't hack like a demented idiot, Nico! It's a dance!_ It was a blur of noise, confusion, sweat and blood. In times like this, he was glad for his ADHD. It really kept him alive in battle.

_**Boom.**_

As he fought, he occasionally caught glimpses of his friends. Percy fought back to back with Annabeth, and they were truly a fearsome sight. They knew each other so well that they were a pair of matched blades. No orc who challenged them could hope to survive. Aragorn and Boromir fought masterfully, with bold, long strokes and clean slices, occasionally reverting to a classic shield bash. Gimli was yelling something in the dwarf language, and he jumped and hacked frenziedly, "Khazad-dum! Khazad-aie!" Legolas fired arrows into the throng, occasionally stabbing orcs who got too close with a dagger. Thalia seemed to be doing well. Her shield kept most of the orcs at spearing distance, and she picked them off easily. Gandalf was also awe-inspiring. The old man used his staff and sword in a deadly combination, carving a path of destruction wherever he fought. Frodo and Sam stayed in a corner, fighting off orcs with short knives that doubled as swords for them.

_**Boom.**_

Nico was getting tired. The swarm of orc seemed endless. He noticed the Fellowship slowly backing into the door at the far side. He travelled to their side, almost doubling over with exhaustion. "What now?" he asked Percy, ducking under an orc sword and stabbing it in its stomach. The orc dissolved into golden dust.

_**Boom.**_

Percy grimaced. "There are too many of them, we have to fall back. ANNABETH! DUCK" He thrust Riptide into the space where Annabeth's head had been and into the head of the orc who had snuck up on Annabeth.

"What can I do?" asked Nico worriedly.

Percy glanced at him."Can you make sure they don't follow us?"

Nico nodded grimly. "Will do."

_**Boom.**_

"Fall back!" called Gandalf. The Fellowship retreated slowly into the doors. Hordes of orcs raced after them, screaming and calling in their guttural language. When Gimli had finally cleared the doors, Aragorn slammed the doors shut and barred it. He leapt away just as a spearhead penetrated the door right next to his head. The doors started bending.

_**Boom.**_

Nico concentrated, then held out his hands. The earth rose and formed a impenetrable black wall. He heard the doors burst open, and heard the orc cries of confusion, despair and anger. He sighed in relief. Hopefully, they would be safe now. The drums stopped abruptly. Yes… they were safe.

Dimly, Nico heard Gandalf doing a head count. He wanted to fall asleep. He was jolted awake, though, when he heard Gandalf say. "Merry? Pippin? Oh, no, I think they're still in there!"

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**This is the real the end for now. Sorry for the cliffhanger, it just seemed the chapter was getting too long. I will try to post the new chapter soon. Review faster! Even a simple review of "Great story" can make my day.**

**Anyway, I need to thank BethanyTokitoki for her idea of adding the song part. I do not own Good time by Owl City and Carly Rae Jepsen, but I do own my version.: P**

**Interested in Beta'ing my story? Pm me!**

**Vote on the poll in my profile for Boromir's fate!**

**Review! Think I can shoot for 45 reviews? please?**

**PJCrazy signing out.**


	9. Hope

**HELLO EVERYBODY! I am so happy today! Help from another World has hit 50 reviews! Thank you to all the people who have commented corrected or added suggestions in the reviews. Reading each one of them made me smile. A special thank you to Aesir 21, an enthusiastic reader who reviewed 7 of my chapters. Thanks bro. (or are you a girl?) **

**BTW, I want to know, how many people actually thought I left them hanging in the middle of the last chapter. I'm evil, right? I had a fit just imagining the expressions on your faces when you thought I left you there, and the relief when you saw the remaining part. Hahahahaha lol.**

**Anyway, some news about the story. **

**50 reviews! I never dreamed that my story would be so well received. Please continue to ask questions, suggest things or point out mistakes in my story. Heck, even flames encourage me, encourage me to improve. :P **

**Beta…. I need a beta proficient in English. Must have read or watched complete LOTR and read all Percy Jackson books. PM me.**

**Poll. Should Boromir die in my story? So far, three people have voted on my poll. All three said no. I know I asked you to put it in a review in the last few chapters, but I decided polls are easier to keep track of. Vote on my profile. **

**Anyway, on with the story!**

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Merry

The Great Hall of Moria

Merry was disorientated. Where was he? What was going on? Why was he here? At first, he could see or hear nothing, but he sensed mass confusion. Blackness. There was a fog around his senses. He couldn't see, hear, smell or touched. His chest tightened in fear. Was he blind? He tried to shake the fog from his mind, and slowly, to his relief, his senses started returning to him.

First was touch. He was on a hard, cold, dusty floor. Another figure was on top of him. Probably a hobbit, judging by its weight and size. Lots of things were moving around him. Sometimes, things fell on him. Huge, hairy, shaggy things. They were wet with a warm, sticky liquid. Merry didn't want to know what the things were.

Taste. Nothing much from here, maybe a slight tang of blood where he must have bitten himself. There was nothing much worth mentioning, as he hadn't eaten for nearly a day. Merry focused on trying to get his other senses working.

Smell. A stench came into his nostrils and made him gag. The original fouls stench of the mines. Pippin lying on top of him. They had been short of water in the mines, and Gandalf would not allow them to find a pool to bathe in – not that he wanted to, after the experience with the watcher. Consequently, a comatose Pippin lying directly on top of him didn't smell that great. Another smell rose to his sensitive hobbit nose, a very, very foul stench he had never smelt in his life. It smelt of death, rot, and evil. Orcs. ORCS? Oh great they were doomed. Orcs orcs orcs orcs. They were so dead… the feared orcs of Moria. He realized that his friends were probably fighting the orcs. He could smell blood and sweat in the air. What was going on? He needed to see! _Eyes! Open! I need to see what is going on!_

Sight. His sight had finally returned to him. He looked up at a low, rounded brown roof. It reminded him of the icy shelter Percy and Thalia had made. Touching it, her realized it was a dome of hardened earth with a hole in the side. He peeked out slowly. The single most awesome and terrifying sight he had ever seen met his eyes. Orcs. Lots of orcs. Huge ugly brutes, they were as tall as a man, and as strong as a bear. They were mad creatures, with little or no intelligence, yet they had evil, and malice. He shuddered. He had seen his first orc, and he had no desire to see one ever again. _Unfortunately, seeing as I'm one of the Company, it's ten to one I see one again soon. _Then, he saw his friends. A blaze of light, carving a path of destruction with a long sword and a shining staff. Gandalf! Aragorn and Boromir fought side by side, each fighting with a grace that Merry had never associated with fighting. The way they fought was like a dance, with a precise step or movement that caused maximum destruction. _Wow, I've been spending too much time with the "smart ones". They're even affecting the way I think. Dance? Really?_ Anyway, Gimli was like a maniac. What the dwarf lacked in stature, he made up with his frenzied fighting. He leaped high and hewed orc necks, or he stayed low and hacked at their legs. Legolas was in a raised area, shooting multiple arrows at once, almost all of them finding their target. He even caught a glimpse of Frodo and Sam, bravely keeping orcs at bay with their knives, but the greatest cause for awe were the "demigods."

Thalia was scary. She had a silver shield expanded, and it was so horrifying that he cried out with fear upon seeing it. There was a face on the shield, a face of the most scary and ugly woman he had ever seen. She had snakes for hair! Even the orcs kept their distance. She simply picked off the orcs one by one using her long spear. Percy was amazing. He had seen Percy spar before, and Annabeth too, but this was different. They were fighting back to back, and they fought with an ease that amazed Merry, they seemed to know each other so well they could anticipate each other's moves and complement it with their own blades. All he could see of them were their determined faces and two flashing bronze blurs that killed any orc they touched. Through the blurs, something strange happened. He could have sworn one of the orcs managed to break Percy's defense and stab him in the chest. Merry let out a cry of fear, but to his surprise, the blade broke! Percy killed the orc and continued fighting like nothing had happened. Merry dismissed it as a battle hallucination. He looked around once more and saw that, by far, Nico had the coolest fighting style here. He seemed to be able to melt into the shadows and reappear somewhere else entirely. He seemed to be everywhere at once, emerging out of the shadows and killing a few orcs, then melting away and reappearing in a different spot. They were truly an awe-inspiring sight.

Hearing. As soon as Merry's hearing returned, he wished it hadn't. If seeing had been chaos, hearing doubled it. Screaming, howling, yelping, the ring of steel on steel. It was overwhelming. He heard a steady boom. A drum, perhaps. He felt the vibrations in his breastbone. He heard Gandalf and Percy shouting orders. It was total chaos for the poor hobbit.

How had this happened?

#Flashback#

"_Psst. Merry!"_

"_What do you want, Pippin?" he asked, wondering what mischief they would do next._

"_I've been thinking…"_

"_Never a good sign." He teased._

"_Shut up. I've been thinking, the Fellowship has all kinds of defenses. Gandalf has his big glowing stick, Legolas has his arrows, Gimli his axe, and the rest of them have swords had knives. What about us?"_

_Merry groaned. "Don't we have the blades Tom gave us? Isn't that enough?" _

"_I was thinking, maybe we could look in __**Annabeth's Backpack.**__"_

_Merry jolted up. "Are you insane? That's off limits, even to us! I don't want to be on the receiving end of her dagger, you know. I swear, that girl is scary."_

_Pippin looked at him,"Oh come on, who's to know? Besides, she's sure to have lots of interesting stuff."_

_The lure was too strong too resist. "Okay."_

_Five minutes later, they were scrabbling in Annabeth's backpack. There were lots of interesting things. The strange, rectangular thing that lit up when you pressed one of its many buttons, a sort of head covering, a bottle of something goldish, a packet of squarish objects that looked edible, but he decided not to risk taking any. Best to take something that won't be missed. Then, they hit the jackpot. In a pocket that seemed to have a shock absorbing material nestled a pile of small, bright green spheres. There were at least a dozen. He couldn't resist taking just one._

"_What have they taken this time?" Gimli's voice stopped them in their tracks. Gimli then saw what it was and gulped. "Tell me that's not the same thing Annabeth used to seal the door." They were so dead._

_Annabeth checked her backpack and shrieked, "One of the spheres of Greek fire is gone!"Then, she pulled out her dagger and said in a very deadly but calm voice. "Give. It. Back. Now."_

_Yikes. She was very, very scary. He nudged Pippin, and they reluctantly stepped forward to return it. Then, his clumsy companion tripped. The explosive flew towards the people who had become his friends._

_He was frozen in horror. His friends were going to die, and it was all is fault. He saw Nico, his best friend apart from Pippin mouth a few words. "I forgive you." He nearly broke down in tears._

_Then, Thalia did something amazing. She caused all the air in the mines to push the sphere, push it far away from the company. There was the same kind of explosion that sealed the cave. Unfortunately, the blast must have weakened the pillars. They were __**still**__ going to die._

_He saw Nico and Annabeth dash around the hall madly, repairing the cracks in the structure. They actually seemed to succeed. He didn't remember. His mind, too overwhelmed by what had happened, simply shut down, and darkness consumed him._

_#flashback ends#_

Merry slowly stood up. To tell the truth, he was amazed that he hadn't already gotten killed in all these chaos and fighting. _Not yet, at least, _common sense concluded. _Plenty of time and chances for that to happen if you stay here gaping like the fishes in the pond back in the Shire._.. No time to waste. He hurriedly shook Pippin awake and murmured "food, lots of food. A feast!" in his ears. That did the trick. Pippin woke up, and he seemed just as confused as Merry had been. He grabbed Pippin's arm, promising explanations later. The two hobbits ran out from under the shelter as fast and as quietly as they could ran into the protection the shadows offered.

Merry led Pippin to a far corner of the hall. The orcs were too busy fighting to notice them. They huddled together and wrapped their cloaks around them, hoping nobody would notice them. The plan worked too well. Among all the fighting and killing, among the clouds of dust, nobody noticed their absence, not even the Fellowship. Merry could only watch in horror as the fellowship slowly retreated to wards the doors and shut the doors. The Fellowship was safe on the other side now. Without them. They were alone. Alone.

The drums stopped abruptly. The orcs roared with anger and frustration. Fortunately or unfortunately, no one had noticed them at all. Now, they were now trapped on the other side of the doors, with at least fifty orcs still alive. The orcs were stupid, but soon, the orcs would smell them, and they would be dead. So dead.

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The orcs took them. Merry found it strange that they did not eat them immediately, but he was grateful for it. The orcs trussed them up and carried them into a dark earthy tunnel which really stank. The floor was lined with bones, and the walls seemed to give off a reddish glow. Along the way, he heard the orcs arguing.

"Garr. I hates this. We at lasts have found fresh meat to eat, buts us not allowed to eats It." grumbled the one holding them.

"Shat up Gristle!" snarled another one. "Boss's orders, they were. Catch anything in da mines an' giv it to him. Pity, too" he held Pippin's ankle high, dangling him above his face. "Dis ones' nice and fat." Pippin closed his eyes with fear.

"Boss justs wants dem alive? Dusn't he? Mebbe his wont mind if dey arrive wif a few missing limbs" muttered Gristle.

"Shaddup you two!" the Lead Orc snarled at them. "Any more word from you, an' I'll feed you to the Balrog."

That shut the orcs up instantly. Merry wondered what the "Balrog" was to make them so afraid. He definitely didn't want to meet it. As they went further inside, the stench increased, and there was a red glow in the walls. He also started hearing other orcs. More orcs. The tunnels were endless. Twists and turns. It was a labyrinth. Slime covered the walls, and bones littered the ground. This had definitely not been made by the dwarves. It was an orc tunnel.

Pippin whimpered in fear. His terrified eyes met Merry's. He tried to send a confident glance back, but he couldn't. There was no hope for them now. Even if their friends came back for them, they couldn't possibly find them in this labyrinth of tunnels. They were truly doomed. He would never see his friends or the Shire again. A tear fell from his eye.

"What's dis? The leetle dwarfling is leaking from his eyes!" laughed Gristle. The rest of the orcs bellowed in laughter.

Merry determinedly blinked the tears away. He would **not** show weakness. He was a Brandybuck, one of the bravest and most adventurous hobbit families. He would not break down and start sobbing. Pippin must have noticed the new resolve in his eyes, for he also set his face into a grim mask. Merry's heart ached for his young cousin, the youngest of the Fellowship. What were they going to do?

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Pippin

Orc Dungeon

It was a nightmare for Peregrin Took. He had nearly caused the death of his friends, his stupidity nearly killing the people he had grown to trust and care for. He had also caused the orcs to come, and endangered his friends. Then, there had been a terrifying battle where their friends had fought for their lives. Then, the Fellowship had missed him and left them alone on the side of the orcs. _You deserve this._ He told himself bitterly. Being captured by orcs, brought down a stinking tunnel and now chained to the wall of the dungeon. The ropes were brittle from lack of use, but they were still too strong to break. They were trapped. He knew he should probably feel grateful that he hadn't been eaten yet, but death might have been the better option. He had then been taken to the Orc King along with Merry, who was the biggest, hairiest and stinkiest orc of all. He was intelligent, though. The only reason they hadn't been eaten, he informed them triumphantly, was because he intended to use them as bait for the rest of the company.

Somehow, the Orc King had gotten hold of a ball. A strange, glass ball filled with fire that he talked to, and it talked back. Sometimes, it was the voice of a crazy old man. Sometimes, it was an evil, hissing voice of pure evil which made chills travel down Pippin's spine and made his skin crawl. The old man wanted the king to kill them all except for the Ringbearer, while the evil voice had other ideas. It wanted the Orc King to capture some of them alive. It had been especially interested in the four powerful children and the Ringbearer. It promised a handsome reward for the capture of Pippin's friends.

And so here was Pippin. He was in a dank, dark dungeon. The only light came from a single sputtering torch on the wall. An orc guard lay snoring outside the wooden door. He was chained to a rocky wall beside Merry, waiting for the friends who would probably never come. Part of him wanted them to come; he wished desperately that they would rescue them. Another part of him wished they would just forget him. He didn't want them to walk into a trap because of him.

Determined they wouldn't fall into a trap because of them, he had hopefully (or was it despairingly?) created a mental list of why they would not come.

They might not have even noticed their disappearance. (Who would care?)

They didn't matter to them. Why would they care? They were just a pair of troublemakers. (this part hurt more than he would admit. Just a troublemaker…)

Even if they did matter, they would never find them. There were just so many twists and turns they would never find the orc dungeons. (Hope nearly died at this thought.)

Even if they did decide to look for them and find their trail, it would be too risky. Too many orcs.

They would not endanger the quest any further by going back for two idiotic hobbits.

Hope died in Pippin as he mentally scrolled through the list, only to be replaced by despair, and a sense of hopelessness. He was going to die. He couldn't believe it. He was only 38, still young with his life ahead of him. He was going to die. He hung his head in despair.

"Cheer up, Pip, we're not dead yet." He was grateful to his cousin for trying to cheer him up, but it was no use.

"We might as well be." He muttered gloomily. "No one's coming for us."

"You don't know that." Merry argued. He could see the despair on Merry's face too, though. He was just trying to put a brave front on things.

"We're going to die." He said with a note of finality, resigned to his fate. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Merry looking at him sadly. Then, Merry's face brightened up.

"Hey Pip, I'll tell you a joke, alright?"Pippin looked at Merry like he was crazy.

"Why did Frodo ruin the boxing match?" asked Merry, a gleeful smile on his face.

"What?!" _it's confirmed. My cousin has officially gone insane._ Thought Pippin.

"Why, did Frodo Baggins ruin the boxing match?" repeated Merry slowly.

"I don't know." Muttered Pippin.

"Because he tried to destroy the Ring!" Merry burst into a gleeful cackle of laughter.

Pippin's eyes widened, then he groaned at the stupid joke. He had waay better jokes.

"Why happened when Sam got drunk?" he challenged.

"He collapsed on the floor while singing?" asked Merry.

"Nope, he begin to feel Merry." Grinned Pippin."Merry, get it?" he burst into laughter.

Merry groaned, "That was even worse!" A diabolical grin crossed his face then. "Alright then, what is the difference between Sauron and the Easter Bunny?" he asked.

Pippin frowned. "Sauron wants to kill everyone while a rabbit is an herbivore?" He ventured a guess.

Merry cackled. "Nope. The answer is …. I don't know. Nobody has seen either one."

Pippin rolled his eyes. "If my hands were free, I would facepalm. This is ridiculous."

"I know right? At least it cheered you up."Merry smiled triumphantly.

"Thanks. I needed that. Anyway, knock, knock." Smirked Pippin.

Merry chuckled. "Who's there?"

"Hobbit."

"Hobbit who?"

Pippin giggled. "Hobbit you let me in."Strangely, he noticed a conspicuous lack of laughter. He stared at Merry.

"I don't get it…" Merry frowned.

"**HOB-BIT **you let me in, idiot! **How 'bout** you let me in! Ignoramus." Groaned Pippin.

Merry gave him a blank stare. "What in the name of the Shire is an ignoramus?"

Pippin groaned. "It means somebody ignorant and stupid. Honestly, you're older than me and you still don't know that word?"

"I can tell you've been spending too much time around Annabeth."Grumbled Merry.

"Whatever." Pippin stuck out his tongue at Merry, who just rolled his eyes.

"Shaddup!" Yelled the orc guard, poking them with a stick. Apparently, he had been woken by their laughter. "No talkin' here."

Merry ignored him and started humming "Good time, Moria Version" Pippin giggled and joined in. The song seemed to give them hope. They needed it. Hope. Idly, he recalled one of Percy's stories about when he was defending his city and was given a jar of hope. _Hope will always survive, Percy had said. As long as we didn't give up hope, we had a chance._ He resolved he would not let his hope die.

"Shaddup!" the guard was getting annoyed.

Merry burst out in song "We're gonna get outta here, it's always a good time!" What was he doing? He was going to get himself killed! He couldn't lose his best friend!

"Merry, don't." he whispered desperately.

Merry ignored him "Whoa…oh uh oh, we don't even have to try, it's always a good time!"

The orc was getting angrier and angrier. He ripped the wooden door off its hinges, stormed in, and grabbed the front of his shirt, pulling him straight off the rocky wall and breaking the ropes holding Merry. "Ow! That hurt, you big brute. Moron! Stupid! Ignoramus! Idiot!" He continued with a very colorful, inventive and impressive string of insults which Pippin felt sure had never been heard in Middle Earth before. The orc's face reddened in anger and raised his fist. Merry shrieked and somehow managed to dodge the blow. The orc's fist collided with the stone wall, leaving a sizable dent and giving him a broken wrist. The orc howled in pain.

Two thoughts went through Pippin's head._ One. Wow, that's freakishly strong…Two, He needs anger management classes…_ definitely Nico and Percy rubbing off him.

Pippin watched helplessly and in horror as the orc raised his knife to "punish" Merry. Merry closed his eyes. The orc grinned evilly. Pippin cried. "Noooo…..!" He closed his eyes, unable to watch his cousin die.

He then heard an unearthly shriek of pain and surprise, but it wasn't Merry's voice. Slowly, he opened his eyes to see… a dead orc, with a slim bronze knife sprouting from its chest. Merry was visibly trembling and seemed to be… floating in mid-air, wrapping his arms around something. Pippin gaped. What was going on?

Suddenly, Annabeth appeared into view. She held Merry firmly, whispering words of comfort to the terrified young hobbit. Pippin gaped in astonishment and shock._ They came for us! They came to rescue us! _ Tears started falling down his cheeks. Annabeth put Merry down and pulled her knife out of the orc's back. As it came out , the orc dissolved into golden dust. She then turned to Pippin and sliced away the ropes tying him to the wall. Pippin immediately hugged her tight, not willing to let go.

Annabeth smiled at the two of them. "Let's get out of here."

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Annabeth

Orc dungeon

Annabeth led the two hobbits out of the dungeon cautiously. This was a high risk operation. Here, they would be outnumbered, and they wouldn't have the advantage this time. Even Athena would have a problem finding a way in and out among all these pitch black tunnels. She froze as she saw a shadow approach in the flickering torchlight and immediately put on her cap and waited with bated breath. She slowly drew her knife and raised it to guard position.

"Pssst. Annabeth. All clear. I took care of the guards." Percy's voice called. Annabeth sighed with relief. Percy came around the corner, Riptide glowing bright in his hand. She ran to him, the two hobbits behind her. So far, the plan was working. She gripped Percy's hand, finding comfort in their closeness, and continued towards the rendezvous point with Aragorn. Annabeth noticed golden dust on the floor. Probably the remains of the guards Percy had killed.

"Where's Nico and Thalia?" asked Pippin curiously.

"And where's Frodo and Sam? Are they here too?" asked Merry.

"They are all in a safe room a few miles away, near the Hall of Moria. Nico had collapsed from the strain of fighting with his shadow powers, and we didn't want to risk any more hobbits. Thalia, Boromir and Gimli and Gandalf are watching over them. Only Aragorn, Legolas, Percy and I could come." She explained. As she walked along the dark tunnel, she started to hear sounds. Orcs screaming and yelling in anger and pain. The sound got progressively louder. A horde of orcs were probably at the end of the passage. She cursed under her breath. Something must have gone wrong.

"How did you find us?" Merry asked, trying to take his mind off the noise.

Percy answered, and she could hear the smile in his voice. "Aragorn found your cloaks and packs in a corner of the great hall, and he tracked the orc prints to the tunnel. From there, he managed to track your location using your scent." Percy grinned. "Apparently, Hobbits smell very strongly."

"Are you saying we stink?" asked Pippin indignantly.

A dark figure detached itself from the shadows in front of them. "Maybe." It sounded like it was smiling. Then, its voice became serious. "One of the orcs managed to escape me. It has probably raised the alarm. Legolas is out there trying to cause confusion and give us more time. We have to go now." Aragorn said, drawing his sword.

The group ran quickly along the tunnel until they came to the tunnel opening. There, the tunnel opened to three other tunnels. Annabeth saw Legolas on a high ledge, firing arrow after arrow into the tunnels. Shrieks of pain came from each of the tunnels.

Legolas looked at them grimly. "We're trapped. They have blockaded all three exits. I'm trying to hold them off as long as possible, but I'm running out of arrows. You'd better get ready." Annabeth groaned, this was what she had feared. She had hoped for a quick and clean getaway, the ones that noticed them would be swiftly dealt with before they could raise the alarm and they would be free. But even the best laid plans can fail. There was no choice now but to fight. She drew her dagger and tossed two knives to the hobbits.

"Get ready." She warned. The hobbits tensed. She saw fear in their eyes, but there was also determination and resolve. They seemed to have matured greatly.

Then, to her surprise, she heard two voices. "Annabeth? We're sorry."

Annabeth had to smile. They sounded truly repentant."Alright, I forgive you. "

Percy interjected. "We're all going to die anyway." She glared at him.

"I've run out of arrows!" Legolas announced. Everybody tensed and drew their weapons in preparation. Then, she heard Percy drop his sword. She glanced at him in shock. _Never drop your sword in a battle!_ Percy had closed his eyes and seemed to have given up. Cold fear gripped Annabeth's heart. _The two words "Percy" and "Give up" do not go together!_ She ran over to him.

She gripped his arm. "Percy, what are you doing?"

He opened one of his eyes and winked at her. "Giving us all a chance."

"Surrendering won't do any good!" she hissed at him.

He just smirked at her. "Whoever said I was surrendering?"

A rumble shook the ground, coming from the three tunnels. Orcs started to charge out of the tunnels. Annabeth shook her head to clear her thoughts. She had to fight.

"Buy me some time." She heard Percy whisper. She nodded to him, still wondering what he would do. The orcs streamed out of the tunnels. Legolas, Aragorn and Annabeth ran forward. Before the two opposing lines met, something happened.

The ground rumbled, then started shaking. It was slight at first, then grew steadily bigger. The whole cave was vibrating. Clods of earth fell from the ceiling. Stones on the floor rattled and hopped around. The orcs stopped and looked at the ground in astonishment. Everyone seemed terrified of this new happening. _Earthquake._

She glanced back at Percy. His eyes were closed, there was a smile on his face. The earthquake grew stronger and stronger. _Percy was doing this. Of course! His father is the Earthshaker! Percy's causing an earthquake! _Cracks appeared and started growing in the roofs of the orc tunnels. The orcs glanced up apprehensively, still bewildered by this strange happening. Suddenly, the three tunnels collapsed, the orcs screamed in terror and tried to run back to where they came from, but it was too late for them. The cave-in buried the orc army completely.

They were safe, Annabeth realized. Only problem was, they were still trapped. Percy had closed off the three tunnels, and now they had nowhere to go. She sank down to her knees in shock. They were trapped in the mines. There was no way out now.

Percy seemed to realize what he had done. He groaned. "I'm so stupid. I just trapped us in the mines!" he walked over to the mine wall and started banging his head against it repeatedly. Annabeth tried to stop him, but Aragorn beat her to it.

"Percy, you didn't know this would happen. I know that you caused this _thing _to save us. You did your best to help us. We are now trapped, it is true, but we are alive, and not killed and gnawed by orcs, as we would have been if you had not interfered." Aragorn spoke softly, reasonably. Annabeth was really impressed by him. He fought with the skill of Ares, yet he had the quiet reasoning and diplomacy of Athena.

Legolas walked over to Percy. "I am amazed by your strength." He said in his lilting voice. "I know you did not mean to do this, and I do not hold you guilty." Annabeth smiled. Throughout the whole journey, strong bonds had formed around the fellowship, and they were all as brothers now.

Percy looked at her and mouthed. "I'm sorry."

Annabeth frowned, walked over and punched Percy's shoulder lightly. "What have you got to be sorry for, Seaweed Brain? You were trying to save us." She stated calmly.

Percy smiled weakly at the small group. "Thanks guys. But I should have known better." He punched the earth wall, and some earth fell to the ground. "I don't know my own strength. That's what Hephaestus told me." He sighed and sank to the ground. Annabeth's heart ached to see him like this, looking so defeated, but there was nothing she could do. There was nothing they could do.

Pippin then did something surprising. He stood up and started singing the song they had sung some nearly three days ago. "Good time." The song reminded her of all the good times they had, and a small spark of hope leapt into her heart. The song seemed to have the same effect on the group, and they all sat up, not seeming so defeated anymore.

Where there was life, there was hope.

They were still alive.

They still had hope.

**To be continued in the next Chapter: Escaping the Mines.**

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**So guys, I decided to split the Mines of Moria into three parts, as it was getting too long. What's going to happen to them? And what is going on with the other group? Find out in the next chapter! I hope you liked this chapter. **

**So anyway, I have something special for you. You can now give me reviews on whose P.O.V you want in the next chapter! I usually put three or four P.O.V changes throughout the chapter. It adds variety and keeps readers on their toes. I reserve two P.O.V for myself. The other two are free for discussion. Percy and Frodo will be featured in the next chapter. Tell me who you want the other two to be in your reviews.**

**Vote on the poll for Boromir's fate!**

**60 reviews? Please? It's not much. I will still write even if I don't receive any, but they would really encourage me and oftentimes give some helpful opinions on the story. You can review on things you liked, things you didnt,things you want to see more of, and things you think i should add**

**Anyway, thanks for reading help from another world and please stay tuned for the next and final chapter about the Mines of Moria: Escaping the mines.**

**PJcrazy signing out.**


	10. Escaping the Mines

**Hey everyone. The next chapter is here! I'm sorry for not updating sooner, things have been hectic lately. I also had a slight case of writers block. (The foe of all writers) I would have put this off a few more days, if not for the huge push given from the reviews I got. Anyway, thanks for reading this story. The chapters have been getting progressively longer lately. I hope you like them. **

**Some news.**

**Concerning Boromir's fate, I have gotten six votes on my profile. 90% wanted him to live. I also did a careful count on the reviews and private messages. The answer is still a resounding yes. So continue voting! Deadline is on next Friday, when I start writing the next chapter. I hope that all of you will continue reading even if the result isn't what you wanted. I still accept suggestions, though.**

**P.O.V changes. I gave a challenge last chapter for you readers to decide on the two P. you wanted to see. Sadly, no one responded. I hope I get a response this chapter…**

**Beta. I have recently reread my story, and found some slight misspelling errors that I didn't see earlier. I hope that someone will volunteer to help.**

**New question. How many of you support Thalico? I am ambivalent on the pairing, actually. Review. **

**My story has been added to a community! Thanks to Proxima Alpha Centauri for allowing my story in his community, "Sky blue, Sea green and Pitch Black". I advise you to check out his community. There are some good stories there.**

**Anyway, enjoy the chapter!**

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Thalia

Somewhere in Moria.

Thalia hated the Mines. She was the daughter of Zeus, not Hades. She hated enclosed spaces. She hated the endless darkness, stumbling over bones, rocks, and who-knows-what, dependant only on the faint light from Gandalf's staff. She hated the silence; it was like a smothering blanket, discouraging speech and happiness. The only thing she could hear were the muffled footsteps of her companions and their tired breathing. She had been very grateful when Percy and Nico had and impromptu karaoke session. It had lifted the heavy silence for a while, but now it had returned as heavy as ever. Thalia was not a quiet person by nature. She hated the silence. Thalia hated the loneliness. In the dark, with only a small light bobbing in front, in this enormous cavern, she felt so small and alone, especially now that Percy and Annabeth had gone on the rescue mission, and Nico currently in dreamland. The silence didn't help one whit.

Most of all, Thalia hated how the mines seemed to go on forever, without an end to this endless walking. Mentally, she cursed the stupid creators of this damned mine. Why did they have to make the tunnels so long and confusing? Her legs ached from all the walking they had done, and Gandalf seemed to have no intention of stopping. Her arms were also aching from lugging Nico's dead weight. The kid needed to watch his diet. Nico had been amazing in the battle. He had the advantage of being able to fight perfectly in the dark, and his shadow powers had given him an edge he did not have normally. Unfortunately, he had collapsed after the battle, his powers draining him too much. Boromir and Thalia had been taking turns to carry him while Gandalf looked for a place to rest. They were all tired. The battle had taken a lot out of them. They needed to rest. Gandalf was currently discussing the layout of the mines with Gimli. She hoped the dwarf remembered where the resting rooms were. She was so tired. Even the Blessing of Artemis couldn't alleviate her tiredness. She was exhausted.

Idly, her thoughts wandered to the rescue mission. The hobbits were really first-class troublemakers, even worse than the Hermes cabin back home. She wondered why they had been allowed to come along in the first place. Despite all these thoughts, she still hoped that they were okay. Through the journey, she had grown fond of their antics, and the thought of these young, carefree hobbits in orc captivity was a horrible one. She hoped that Percy, Annabeth, Legolas and Aragorn would succeed in their mission and not get horribly killed by the orcs. She missed her friends.

"Here!" She was shaken out of her thoughts by Gimli's triumphant cry. They had found a room! She sighed in relief and walked into the room. The room was quite large, and it was bare except for a well, the usual bones littering the floor, and a white marble box in the centre. Something set this room apart from the other rooms she had seen. There was a small hole in the roof, and a solitary shaft of sunlight streamed in, casting a faint golden light on the room. Thalia's spirits immediately rose at the sight of sunlight. She had almost forgotten what the bright light of the sun looked and felt like in the bleak blackness of the mines. She sank down on the floor gratefully and placed Nico carefully on the ground. Sam and Frodo also slumped in relief to the floor.

However, Gimli did not seem to share her good mood. At the first sight of the box, he had given a cry of surprise and despair. He ran forward to the box and read the runes on the box. The runes just looked like chicken scratches to Thalia, but evidently they spelled a terrible message. Gimli sat down and started sobbing. Real, heartbroken, despairing sobbing. It was a sad sight to see the normally stoic dwarf break down.

Gandalf walked over to the Box. "Here lies Balin, son of Fundin, Lord of Moria." Thalia then understood. That was not a box, it was a grave. Evidently, Balin had been close to Gimli. She dimly remembered a conversation where he had told them about the great exploits of his father, Gloin along with twelve other dwarves and Bilbo, Frodo's uncle. She was sure that Balin had been mentioned in the group. That explained Gimli's sadness.

Casting another glance around the room, she saw a book, a thick, dust covered, leather-bound book. It was covered in dried blood. Gingerly, she picked it up. The pages crackled as she opened it. the book was full of the chicken scratches. After puzzling it over for a minute or two, she gave up and handed it over to Gandalf. When Gandalf read it, his expression darkened and became sad and he looked like a very weary old man.

Gandalf closed his eyes sadly. "He is dead then. It is as I feared." Seeing Thalia's and Boromir's questioning glances, he explained. "This is a journal of Balin's conquest of Moria. The entries are cheerful at first. It talks of discovering many old mines and riches."

He then flipped to the middle of the book carefully, causing a great deal of dust to fall out and made Thalia sneeze. "Here, it becomes bad". He read an excerpt. "_The Watcher in the Water took one of us today. The dwarf had been collecting water when he was snatched into the water. He never came back up. He was a great loss_. _We buried him this morning._"

Gandalf turned to another part of the book and continued reading. "_The decision to explore the two closed off mines has proved disastrous. Our Fathers had sealed them for a reason. Orcs. We had awakened the Orcs of Moria. They charged out of the mine, brandishing scimitars and clubs, baying for our blood. There was a terrible battle, and many good dwarves fell. We have now retreated to the few places the orcs haven't taken yet. We shall defeat them. The dwarves are strong."_

Gandalf turned to another portion." This entry was made two months later. _The orcs have gotten stronger and stronger. Slowly they are retaking parts of Moria and closing off the exits. Balin is dead. An orc arrow hit him when he was still unprepared. The conquest of Moria is doomed. We have failed. We must escape. Moria is lost to the dwarves."_ Gimli let out a choked sob.

Gandalf continued to read. "This entry is the next to last entry. _Drums. Drums in the deep. The sound chills us and set shivers in our bones. The orcs have killed many of us. We are sorely outnumbered. The orcs are accompanied by monsters. Cave trolls. Huge, hulking brutes. Also, there is another monster. A monster of Fire and Shadow. We have not met it yet, and we pray we never will. We hear it roaring in the night, we hear his thundering footsteps. There is no hope for us. Tonight will be our attempt. It will be all or nothing. I cannot stand another night in this tomb. Tonight, one way or another, we shall escape."_

In a grieving voice, Gandalf read the last entry. "_We have failed. The orcs have taken all the exits. There is no way out. Of the five hundred brave dwarves that set out to Moria, only twenty dwarves remain. We now stand in this room beside Balin's tomb, readying our weapons for the final fight. They are coming for us. They are coming. We cannot get out. We cannot get out….." _Thalia saw that the last few words of the last sentence trailed off the page, like the writer had fallen asleep trying to write it.

Thalia found there were tears in her eyes. The plight of the dwarves, their sorrow and despair were so clearly expressed in the writing. _And now, _she realized, _we are now in the same situation._ She looked at the remaining members of the company. Frodo and Sam were white with fear, Boromir was nervously gripping his sword, Gimli was still in mourning, and Nico was sitting with a blank stare on his face, having just woken up to catch the few final excerpts. They had all been affected by the words.

She walked over to Nico and quietly filled him in on what had happened since he collapsed. When he heard that Merry and Pippin were gone, he stood up and ran for the door.

"Death Boy! Wait! Percy, Annabeth, Legolas and Aragorn had already gone after them. You need to rest. Besides, you don't even know where to go!" She yelled after him.

He came back reluctantly, and settled himself for a long, anxious wait. Thalia sat beside him and quietly counted the hours. Frodo and Sam were fast asleep in a corner of the room. Gandalf sat on floor, smoking a pipe gloomily, which struck her as weird. _Wizards smoke? _Boromir sat crossed legged on the floor beside the hobbits, and started polishing his sword, tense and alert. Gimli knelt by the tomb, grieving quietly.

Suddenly, the floor rumbled. Thalia felt the floor vibrating and jumped up immediately. The entire company leapt up in a panic and unsheathed their weapons. _Was this some new trick of the orcs?_ The earthquake grew more violent, making dust fall in clouds from the ceiling, and continued for about two or three minutes, then stopped abruptly. She shot a mock accusatory glare at Nico.

"Warn us before you do that again, Death Boy. I know you need to vent, but don't take it out on the mines! We're still in here, you know." She said quietly.

Nico looked confused. "I didn't do it. I have better control over my emotions than you think. Maybe the mines are just structurally unsound." He said.

Gimli frowned, his grief forgotten for a moment. "Impossible. The mines have never experienced an earthquake since it was built by Durin. This earth shaking is not natural." He informed them.

Gandalf glanced at Nico. "Perhaps it is the work of your Half God friends. Did Percy not say his father was the Earthshaker? Perhaps he needs help."

_Of course! Why didn't I think of that?_ Wondered Thalia. Nico looked like he had been hit by a ton of bricks. Then, his expression brightened and he ran to corner of the room, where the shadows were thick. Thalia ran after him, and grabbed his shoulder just before he vanished into the shadows. _All aboard for the Di Angelo Express._

Darkness, Wailing and screaming, her face was peeling off from the speed. It was freezing cold. All in all, it was a normal ride on the Di Angelo Express. They burst out of the shadows in a small cavern. It looked perfectly ordinary at first glance, just a small, circular cavern with a single tunnel and a huge pile of rocks at the other end. The cavern smelled strongly of orcs. She looked at Nico in confusion. Why were they here? Where were Percy and Annabeth?

Nico glared at her. "Hey, I didn't ask you to tag along. I nearly jumped out of my skin when I felt you touch my shoulder."

She smirked. "I want to help them too, you know."

Nico sighed and walked over to the pile of rocks and put his hand on the rock and furrowed his brow. "These rocks fell very recently. Behind these rocks are three tunnels. In the tunnels are… a huge bunch of dead orcs. He whistled in appreciation. "Perce really knows how to cause mass chaos."

Thalia walked around the cavern carefully, trying to read the signs. As a lieutenant of Artemis, she had learnt how to read messages in the ground. She wasn't as good as Aragorn, but she could still track living things decently. She knelt to the floor and concentrated on the ground. Nico wisely stepped back, allowing her to do her thing.

She started telling Nico her observations. "The rescue mission came from that tunnel." She pointed to the left one. "Legolas and Aragorn stayed behind, while Percy and Annabeth went on to that tunnel." Here, she pointed to the opposite tunnel. "There seems to have been a scuffle in that tunnel. I don't know for sure, but Aragorn and Legolas came out running, and then turned to face the tunnel. Later, Aragorn walked into the tunnel to wait for Percy, and Legolas jumped on that ledge to keep watch. From the impressions on the ledge, I think he was aiming his bow at the tunnels. The feet are aligned in a straight line, and there are a few dropped arrows on the ledge." Nico stared at her in shock.

She smirked and continued. "Later, Percy and Annabeth returned, along with Aragorn and two others. You can see how the prints step over the earlier prints. Then, they seemed to have prepared for battle. They then ran forward to the edge of the fall, then stopped abruptly." She walked back to the mouth of the opposite tunnel. "Percy stayed here however, he didn't fight. I would have thought it was Annabeth, except Percy has bigger feet. He probably caused the earthquake from here. Then, they stayed here for a while, then Annabeth led them back to that tunnel." She finished with a triumphant smirk.

Nico looked at her with a bored expression. "Obviously…"

She glared at him.

He hastily raised his hands in defense. "I didn't need to hear all that. I just wanted to know where they went…" She gave him a light smack, and the two of them walked into the tunnel together.

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Legolas

Orc Dungeon

Legolas sat with the others in a circle inside the dungeon with a bemused expression. _If only my father, the Elvenking, could see me now. I am sitting with the King of Gondor, two hobbits and two Half God children, in an Orc Dungeon in the Mines of Moria, a place no elf would ever want to set foot in willingly._ _It is ironic. My father imprisoned Gimli's father in the dungeons of Mirkwood, and now I am trapped in the dungeons of Moria, after following the dwarf Gimli. _He shook his head in amusement at the strange twist of events that had taken them. After the huge shaking of the earth, which had been caused by Perseus (A hero's name. _Percy _seemed to familiar a term for a hero) , the young hobbit Pippin tried to cheer them up with a song from the Demigod's world that Perseus and Nico had sang not three days ago. It had worked to some extent. Perseus had stopped blaming himself for what had happened and listened to reason. Legolas was in awe of what Perseus had done. They were truly powerful.

Annabeth had taken charge afterwards. There was an air of confidence around her, and no one disputed her, not even Aragorn. Legolas had at first dismissed her as not as powerful as the rest of the demigods, but now he realized Annabeth was just as equally powerful as the rest of the Fellowship. She was undisputedly the wisest of the Fellowship despite her age, excepting Aragorn and Gandalf. She had led them back to the dungeon, where there was a larger space, then lit a fire out of the remains of the door. She had then taken a strange transparent package out of her pack full of soft white lumps, opened it, and spread it among the groups. Following their example, Legolas had impaled one of the lumps on a stick and roasted it in the fire. It was nothing like he had ever eaten in Middle Earth before. It was delicious. Soon, they were resting around the fire, eating the "s'mores". It was the most peaceful moment Legolas had had in the mines.

The hobbits enjoyed the fire and the snacks, and were soon demanding a story from Perseus' world. Legolas had to admit being curious too. Perseus had only given a few snippets and hints of his exploits, like defending a city from an evil as old as the Gods, rescuing a Goddess, retrieving items of power and surviving a bath in a river of death. Legolas had been intrigued that a person so young would have had so many adventures. They were only sixteen! Mere children in the eyes of elves and men, yet their eyes spoke of things that children should not have witnessed at their age.

Percy turned to Annabeth, and they exchanged a look which seemed to speak volumes. They seemed to know each other so well that they did not even need to speak. Then, Percy sighed and turned to the hobbits. "What story would you like to hear?"

"Why not the story of how you first met each other?" To Legolas' surprise, the suggestion came from Aragorn. He gaped at the tall Ranger. Aragorn chuckled at their dumbstruck faces. "I'm sure we would all like to know how you two became so close."

The hobbits giggled and Legolas couldn't resist. He laughed. The red glow from their faces could have lit up a dark room. Percy groaned, then relented.

"I guess I'd better start from the beginning. It all started when I accidentally vaporized my math teacher…"

Legolas listened in awe as Perseus told of his world, of Gods, Demigods and monsters. How, at the age of twelve, he had defeated a Creature of the Underworld with barely any training. Perseus told of the Minotaur, a hideous mix of bull and man, and how he had killed it with its own horn. He laughed hard along with Aragorn and the hobbits when he heard of Annabeth's first words to him. "You drool in your sleep." He heard of his powers in water, and of his great loyalty to his friends. Perseus told of his quest to save his mother and retrieve one of the most powerful weapons on Earth to stop a civil war of the Gods. He had tears in his eyes from laughing when Annabeth told of the Thrill Ride of Love. His jaw dropped when he heard of their trip to the underworld.

Legolas was shocked, to say the least. These children had performed more heroic deeds at the age of twelve than he had ever accomplished in his lifetime. He felt awed and honored that they were here, talking to him. Glancing around, he saw Aragorn, Merry and Pippin had similar looks on their faces. Percy grinned at their reactions, while Annabeth looked a bit self conscious.

Then, his eyes picked out something in the shadows. Percy and Annabeth had their backs facing the tunnel, and in the tunnel, two figures were leaning on the wall. As he watched, the smaller figure reached forward and plucked a "s'more" from Perseus' hand.

Perseus jumped three feet into the air in shock, then spun and lunged at the figure, his sword materializing in his hand. There was a thud as they hit the wall grappling. Annabeth also unsheathed her knife and placed it on the other figures' neck. The entire process took place in the time it took to blink an eye. Legolas marveled at their reaction speed. He also had grabbed his daggers in preparation, but Aragorn stopped him. He had a twinkle in his eye. Reassured, Legolas sat back down and watched.

"I say, Perce… is this how you treat your rescuers?" groaned the figure on the floor.

"Yeah, Annie…" said the other figure. "I thought we were on better terms than that."

Annabeth dropped her knife in shock. "Thalia? Nico? How did you get here?"

Percy had rolled of Nico. He helped him up and brushed the dust of him. "Sorry 'bout that, Nik." He grinned at the two of them. "I had hoped Nico would come, but what brings you here, Lieutenant Pinecone?"

_Lieutenant Pinecone? _Legolas wondered where that nickname had come from.

Nico rubbed his back where he had hit the floor. "I came in response to the earthquake. Thalia… sort of invited herself."

Thalia grinned and enveloped Annabeth in a hug. Perseus patted Nico on the back. "Thanks, man. Appreciate you coming for us."

Nico couldn't answer, as he had been jumped by two overexcited hobbits.

Aragorn watched the reunion with an amused face. "Actually, they arrived about ten minutes ago, and have been listening for quite a while."

Annabeth pulled back from the hug and glared at Thalia. "Is that true?" she asked.

"You can't blame us! We have never heard that story before." Thalia defended.

Perseus rolled his eyes. "Alright. Let's go." He gave Nico a concerned look. "You sure you're up to it?" asked.

Nico shrugged. "Why not?" He then grinned. "Group hug!"

_Group hug?_ Wondered Legolas. He soon realized the meaning when he was nearly crushed between Perseus and Aragorn.

"Three, two, one, LET'S GO!" yelled Nico, and they were swallowed by the shadows.

Suffice to say that Legolas would NEVER accept another ride from Nico Di Angelo.

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Percy

Percy was lost in the thrill of shadow travelling. He felt Annabeth gripping his hand tightly, and he could tell she was trying not to scream. He squeezed her hand reassuringly. Aragorn seemed to be taking it well, he wasn't screaming in terror like Legolas was. He supposed that to the elf, this must be a nightmare. The two hobbits, having experienced it before, were both screaming in exhilaration. Thalia had her eyes squeezed shut, and Nico was grinning with his eyes closed.

The shadows spat them out into a bare room. There was a white box in the centre and a shaft of sunlight coming from the roof. Percy could tell something was wrong the moment he entered the room. Boromir and Gandalf were busy barricading the door with pikes, axes and pieces of wood. Gimli was standing with the hobbits beside the box, gripping his axe in his hands. Percy saw a blue glow from Frodo's knife.

Percy immediately uncapped Riptide and expanded his shield. Behind him, he heard Aragorn unsheathe his sword. He glanced behind him. Aragorn ran towards the Gandalf and Boromir, a grim look on his face, and began to help them. Annabeth and Thalia guided the hobbits to a corner of the room while Legolas threw up on the floor. Nico staggered unsteadily, tired from his trip.

Percy gripped Nico's shoulders and steadied him. "You okay?"

"With great power comes great need to take a nap." He muttered. He glanced at the doors, and his eyebrows rose as he realized what was going on. He summoned his Stygian Iron sword. "No rest for the weary."

Percy grinned at his cousin's dramatics. Then he ran over to Gandalf. "What happened?"

Gandalf smiled at him. "Good to see you safe, Perseus Jackson. To answer your question, the orcs have been battering at the wall Nico made at the Hall of Moria. They have finally broken through, and they are now hunting for us. We have no choice but to fight…again."

Percy groaned."Joy."

Footsteps. Footsteps outside the door. Percy tensed, along with the rest of the fellowship. The doors shook as something tried to push it open from the outside. Harsh shrieks rang out when they couldn't get in. A horn blast sounded. Answering horns sounded. The drums started again. _**Boom. Boom. Boom.**_ The drum echoed around the entire cavern. the door started to bend inwards.

Percy felt as if time had slowed down. His ADHD seemed to take in every detail at once. Legolas spoke up. "They are coming."

Gimli snarled in anger. "Let them come. There is still one dwarf in Moria that draws breath!" He raised his axe high.

The door started splintering. A black, twisted hand reached into the gap in the door. Thalia fired an arrow through the gap. There was a yelp and the hand went limp, dissolving into dust.

Aragorn looked at Percy in confusion. "How is it that your weapons turn them to dust, while our weapons do not?"

Percy angled his blade. "Different metals. Celestial Bronze is deadly to monsters." He was about to explain more, but the door splintered further. "Let's have this discussion later."

The gap widened. Three orc arrows flew from the gap towards Percy. The arrows broke on his skin. Legolas and Thalia fired a few more arrows into the gap. More orcs fell. Then, the door burst open. Three things even bigger than the orcs lumbered in.

Boromir gasped. "They have cave trolls!"

Aragorn called to Percy "Percy! Lead the demigods and try to incapacitate the trolls! We'll handle the orcs."

Percy nodded to him, then turned to Annabeth. "Annabeth! We need a plan. Where are its weak spots?"

Annabeth ran over to Percy, her stormy gray eyes analyzing every detail. "I'm guessing these monsters are most similar to the Cyclops back at home. If so, then their weak points would be the neck, the feet and the skull."

"Feet, Neck and skull, got it" He ran over to the nearest troll and vaulted high. He saw the troll's arms reach upwards. Too late, he realized he had miscalculated his jump. Instead of landing on the troll's neck, he would slam right into its fists._ Just my luck. _Just as he was about to be turned into a Percy Jackson Punching Bag™, a huge gust of wind propelled him forward, allowing him to land on the troll's back. He turned and waved at Thalia in thanks. She gave him a mock salute and continued jabbing at another troll with her spear. Percy thrusted his sword deep into the troll's neck. The troll shrieked in pain, and dropped dead to the floor. The ground shook. _One down._

Percy jumped off the troll and looked around the room. Annabeth and Nico seemed to be doing well. The troll they were fighting seemed to have gone crazy, running around in a bid to get the two crazy humans off its back, and it was crashing into the walls around the chamber. He smirked and looked for the others. They all seemed to be handling themselves well, too. He spotted the Sam knocking out a few orcs with a saucepan, grinning all the while. Merry and Pippin ran through the throng, jabbing at random orc legs with their knives. Their small stature worked to their advantage, allowing them to weave through the mess without getting noticed. There were a lot of orcs hopping on one foot, hollering in pain. Easy targets for Aragorn, Boromir and Gandalf. Legolas, having lost his arrows, was fighting with twin daggers alongside Gimli. They seemed to be competing over who could kill the most orcs. He rolled his eyes, then jumped aside just in time as a dead troll crashed down beside him. Thalia was grinning triumphantly, her spear was stuck deep into the troll's skull. _Two down._

He heard a scream. Whirling, he saw that the last troll had managed to evade Annabeth and Nico, and was now charging straight towards Frodo. The troll raised its spear and pushed it into Frodo's stomach. Sam, Merry and Pippin screamed in anger, then the three hobbits went berserk. Merry and Pippin jumped on top of the troll and started bashing its head with pieces of rock. Sam took a dropped knife and jabbed the troll behind its knee. The troll screamed in pain, and as the troll opened his mouth, Legolas fired his last arrow into it. Percy was momentarily reminded of how he had killed the Nemean Lion along with Zoe Nightshade. The troll shuddered and collapsed on the floor, crushing a few orcs on the way. _And that's three._

The rest of the orcs were easy. He fought recklessly, trusting on the curse of Achilles to protect him. with the rest of the Fellowship helping him, the orcs didn't stand a chance. Percy slumped, tired from his exertions. Annabeth ran over and steadied him, then reprimanded him for his carelessness.

"Really, Seaweed Brain! You weren't even wearing armor on your back!" she screamed at him. She then seemed to wilt. "Don't gamble with your life, Percy. I wouldn't be able to bear it if you died." She said very softly. There were tears in her eyes. Percy immediately felt a pang of guilt. He had caused Annabeth to worry. He hugged her close.

"I'm sorry, Annabeth. I would never leave you willingly." He whispered into her ear.

She sniffled. "You better not."

"Perseus! Annabeth! Sorry to interrupt your talk, but we have to leave now!" called Gandalf.

Percy nodded wearily, and the Fellowship ran out of the room, into another passage.

"Where are we headed?" He asked Gandalf.

"The bridge of Khazad-Dum." He answered. They ran through many passages and descended flights of stairs, crossing numerous rooms. Occasionally, Annabeth or Nico would stop to collapse a room using a small sphere of Greek fire or Nico's earth powers to slow down pursuers. It was like reliving the Labyrinth all over again. Soon, they reached a huge crumbling stairwell that broke as they crossed. There was a lot of screaming and yelling. Only Gandalf, Boromir, Annabeth, Nico and Thalia managed to cross before a huge gap opened in the stair. The situation was made worse by the orc archers, who fired arrows from a high ledge. Legolas and Thalia fired back, and managed to take down eight archers. Aragorn had then proceeded to pass the hobbits over the gap into Boromir's hands. He had to scramble back, though, when the edge started to crumble. Legolas went next. He managed to clear the gap with an enormous leap. Gimli had to be tossed over the gap, despite his loud protests, leaving only Aragorn, Percy and Thalia. The piece of stair they were standing on suddenly fell forward. Aragorn leapt towards the safety of the other side, along with Thalia. Percy, though, was not so lucky. The stair crumbled, and he would have died, if not for Nico using his earth powers to levitate a piece of rock. As the fellowship crossed the bridge, it broke completely and fell into the chasm. They had had a fortunate escape.

The orcs were still pursuing them, though. Hundreds upon hundreds of orcs swarmed towards them, using secret passages to cross the chasm. They ran as fast as they could. In front of them…Daylight! There was daylight! It became a flat out race for survival. Then, the orcs suddenly retreated, squealing in fear. The ground shook with heavy footsteps. Through the gloom, Percy saw a huge shape, even bigger than the cave trolls, a shape of fire and shadow.

" . . ?" he gasped. For once, Nico didn't say anything.

Legolas gasped. "A Balrog! A Balrog has come!" he was visibly shaking.

Gandalf sagged and clutched his staff wearily. "A Balrog." He turned to the Fellowship. "This foe is beyond any of you, even you, Percy." He pointed towards the exit. "RUN!"

They ran. They ran and ran. Their chests heaved with gasps and pants. Then, Gandalf stopped suddenly. Percy saw why. Between them and the exit was an enormous chasm. As big as the chasm of Tartarus, and probably just as deep. The only thing connecting the two sides was a bridge. slender rock bridge that spanned the chasm. No handholds, no rails. Thalia looked like she was going to have a heart attack. He shot a quick glance at Nico, wondering if they could shadow travel, but the kid looked worn out. They would have to take the bridge, then.

The hobbits, Gimli and Legolas were already running across the bridge. He walked over to Thalia and gripped her hand. "Close your eyes. Just follow me. Hold my hand. I won't let you fall." He reassured her. Thalia looked at Percy gratefully, took his hand, and closed her eyes. Percy saw Annabeth go behind Thalia and whisper in her ear. Thalia seemed to relax.

Slowly, ever so slowly, they crossed the bridge. It was a terrifying experience. The bridge seemed to go on forever, but finally, they reached the other side. Percy glanced back. Only Gandalf was left on the other side. Gandalf also started to cross, but was stopped by a roar.

From the doorway behind the bridge, the Balrog stepped out. It was an enormous figure, and could be compared to the Hyperborean giants, except instead of an icy body, its body flickered with flame. Huge, leathery bat wings extended from the back. Its head looked like a dinosaurs head. Sparks flew out of it. A flaming sword was in its hand. It took a single step on the bridge.

Gandalf stood firm on the middle of the bridge. "You cannot pass!" he yelled. His staff was in one hand, his sword in another.

Percy gasped. Frodo cried out "Gandalf!"

The Balrog took another step. Its wings drew up to their full span. The two of them faced off on the bridge. The Balrog, the enormous beast of fire and shadow, a flaming sword raised, a whip in its other hand, and Gandalf, an weary old man holding a staff and a sword, a small grey figure precariously balanced on the bridge.

Aragorn and Boromir drew their swords. "He cannot stand alone!" Cried Aragorn. Percy uncapped Anaklusmos, and the three of them ran forward to the bridge. They were stopped by an invisible force. They could not get near Gandalf. Gandalf's staff shone with a brilliant light.

Gandalf roared at the Balrog. "I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the Flame of Anor, the dark fire will not avail you." He took a deep breath, "Go back to the Shadow!" he cried. "You. Shall not. PASS!" he drew himself up and summoned his last reserves of strength, then struck the stone bridge with his staff. The bridge cracked. Splinters of stone flew. The bridge broke.

The invisible barrier stopping them vanished, and Aragorn, Boromir and Percy ran to Gandalf, holding him, supporting him. Gandalf was gasping. He had used up all his strength. But something was wrong. Boromir gasped as two huge fiery hands grasped the edge of the bridge, slowly hauling itself up. Percy ran forward and stabbed the hands with his sword, slashing and hacking at the fingers. The Balrog's head rose up over the edge, it features twisted with hatred. In unison, Percy, Boromir and Aragorn thrusted their swords into its face. The Balrog gave one last scream of pain, and fell into the chasm.

Percy exhaled. "We did it! We have escaped Moria!" he gave a jubilant cry.

Gandalf stood up unsteadily, and walked to the edge of the bridge, as if trying to make sure it was dead. the rest of the events seemed to hold a dreamlike quality for Percy, seeing everything in slow motion, yet helpless to do anything. A rope of fire wrapped around Gandalf's ankle, (**Mark of Athena, anyone?)** and pulled Gandalf into the chasm.

Gandalf seemed poised in the air, a look of shock covering his face. He fixed Percy, Boromir and Gandalf with his stare and said his last words. "Fly, you Fools." And Gandalf the Grey was gone.

There was no time for grieving. Percy ran across the bridge, obeying Gandalf's last commands. They scooped up the shocked hobbits and ran out of Moria into the daylight.

They emerged into a grassy hillside. The sky was blue, with clouds hanging motionless in the air. A slight breeze ruffled their hair, and an ugly sight greeted them. A battalion of orcs, roughly two hundred orcs were at the entrance, all armed to the teeth, waiting.

"There they are!" yelled the lead orc. "Kill them all, and the Great Eye will reward us greatly!" the orc army gave a roar and surged forward.

Ordinarily, the Percy would have decided to call a retreat, but he was distraught, as were the other demigods and the fellowship. They, too, prepared for an attack.

Free Piece of Advice from Percy Jackson: no matter how many soldiers you have, never attack a distraught child of the big three, especially not _three, _and a child of the Wisdom Goddess to boot.

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**Yeah, They are out of Moria. This is the longest chapter I've written yet! I hope you all enjoyed it, and here's the twist…Gandalf isn't dead…**

**Anyway, I hope you continue to read my story.**

**Voting for Boromir ends on Next Friday.**

**Review on whose P.O.V you want to see in the next chapter.**

**Just Review. I love reviews. they encourage me so well.**

**PJcrazy signing out **


	11. Remembering Gandalf

**Hi everyone. The next chapter is here. I received lots of reviews with lots of suggestions. Thanks guys. From this point on, I may not be able to update as frequently, as I have school and a competitions coming up. Still, I'll try to update at least once a week for you guys. You're welcome. Btw, I have revamped chapter one. Its slightly longer now, I hope you like it better. **

**Anyway,**

**Boromir's fate has been decided. He will live. The polls resulted in an 80% vote for his second chance, and after counting the reviews, it became a 70%. So he gets his second chance. I'm sorry for disappointing the people who wanted him to live; I hope that you will continue to read even though the result isn't what you wanted. I still take suggestions, though.**

**P.O.V changes. I got some enthusiastic reviews stating their preferred characters. I will try to include all of them in this chapter. The ones that weren't will probably be in the next chapter. Keep reviewing!**

**For the Thalico, I decided I won't do it, mainly because I'm trying to keep them in character. They will have a brother/sister relationship, as they are cousins, but no romance. **

**I have another special something for you! For every 5****th**** review starting from the 80****th****, I will answer the question in the next chapter. If it is spoiler related, I will Pm the answer to you. You guys deserve it. Unfortunately, the guests won't be able to use the PM system. I'll try to work something out. Review faster!**

**That's all folks. Enjoy chapter 11.**

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Aragorn

The Eastern Gate of Moria

Aragorn couldn't believe it. Gandalf was gone. His companion and friend had fallen in Moria. Gandalf was gone. He would never see the old wizard again. The last scene burned in his mind, of an old man with a staff and sword facing a beast of fire and shadow. They had defeated the beast, but the beast had taken its revenge, by pulling Gandalf along with it. Every detail of his friend was etched into his mind. His wrinkled old face which would occasionally light up in mirth, his terrible anger when the people he cared for were in danger, his fondness for smoking. His grey, pointed hat, the long, scruffy beard, his gnarled, twisted staff, his long, bright sword. Gone. Fallen. Never again would he see them. Gandalf was gone. The wizard was gone. His friend was gone.

But there was no time for grieving. They had rushed out of the mine, honoring Gandalf's last words. Frodo had winced in pain when he carried him. He had to remember to heal him later. He saw shock and grief on everyone's faces. Even the demigods, who had not known him long, were devastated at his loss. They ran towards the daylight, all eager to be rid of the oppressive, evil mines. Aragorn ran as fast as he could, away from this cursed mine.

A dramatic contrast to the mines met them. The sky was a brilliant, cloudless blue. They came out on a smooth, grassy hillside. A gentle breeze cooled them all and ruffled their hair. The sunlight warmed their cold bodies. After the dreary blackness of the mines, the beauty of Middle Earth was almost too much to take in. _Gandalf should have been here to enjoy this too._ He thought bitterly. He wanted to take out his grief on something, anything. The opportunity conveniently presented itself.

"There they are!" yelled the lead orc. "Kill them all, and the Great Eye will reward us greatly!"

An army of orcs charged straight at them. There were almost two hundred orcs. They were clearly outnumbered. But Aragorn didn't care. He unsheathed his sword and held it high above his head. He gave a cry of anger and defiance. "This is for Gandalf!" The fellowship all unsheathed their weapons and gave a resounding answer.

His heartbeat quickened. Adrenaline rushed into his veins. Aragorn charged towards the orc army, the fellowship behind him. As if on cue, the sky darkened, the wind picked up and it started raining. The wind howled in his ears, the rain soaked them all. The mood suited Aragorn's perfectly.

Contact.

Aragorn almost felt sorry for the orcs…Almost. They never knew what hit them. In an instant, Aragorn was among them, slashing and hacking. Aragorn was actually glad for the mindless fighting of battle. It took his mind off more painful things. He ducked as an orc scimitar slashed over his head and stabbed the orc in the stomach. He decapitated dozens of orcs. Grief and anger fueled his tired body. Battle fever gripped him. His field of vision narrowed to his sword and the orc in front of him. Everywhere there were black blurs moving and the loud clashing of steel on steel. Dimly, he was aware of great chaos around him, but he was too occupied to look.

Nothing existed except him and the orc he was fighting. Once he killed it, another would rise to take its place. His sword flashed in the air. He was the heir of Elendil and Isildur. He was the King of Gondor. He would not fall. His breath came in short, explosive bursts, but he did not stop. His arms ached from swinging the heavy sword, he continued fighting.

An orc charged him, a big, ugly brute, and a white handprint on his face. Aragorn tensed and waited. He too charged at the orc. But he had forgotten about the rain. The rain made everything slippery, and Aragorn slipped on a patch of mud, falling on his back. He lay there winded; his explosive burst of strength had deserted him. The orc gave a triumphant cry and prepared to stab him. Aragorn saw no way out of this. He was going to die. _Is this how it ends?_ Wondered Aragorn. _Maybe I'll see Gandalf where I'm going. _

The orc raised its scimitar high…and was promptly incinerated by a bolt of lightning that struck his scimitar and was conducted throughout its armor. A burnt orc fell beside him. He smelt charred flesh. Somebody gripped his hand and pulled him up. He couldn't see who it was. The bright arc of light had nearly blinded him. Slowly, the black dots disappeared from his eyes.

"That was pretty stupid of him. Didn't he know iron is a good conductor of electricity?" Thalia grinned at him. She looked horrible. Her face was streaked in mud and grime, and her tattered clothes were covered in golden dust. He supposed he looked the same.

Aragorn nodded in thanks. "Thank you, Thalia."

Thalia gave a slight smile. As she surveyed the battlefield, her smile became a frown. The rain had become heavier and heavier. Lightning lit up the battlefield more frequently. The ground started rumbling. "Percy and Nico are starting to lose control. You'd better find the rest of the company and tell them to take cover. I'll calm them down". Aragorn nodded in understanding, and ran off to find the others. He found Legolas and Gimli side by side, killing orcs and counting under their breath. They seemed to be going strong.

"14, 15, 16" muttered Gimli breathlessly, hewing another orc neck off its shoulders. "That's 17."

Legolas gave a high laugh. "17?" he notched an arrow and fired it straight between another orc's eyes. "I've already got 21. 22 now."

Gimli glared at Legolas, then ran off to ambush another pair of unlucky orcs. Aragorn pulled him back. "Gimli! You better get out of the way!" he turned to Legolas. "That goes for you too, Legolas."

"But I've only got 19! Let me kill three more to match Legolas." Whined Gimli. Legolas had to drag him off the battlefield. Aragorn had to suppress a smile, these two were impossible.

Aragorn ducked a blow from an orc and hacked its neck off, then ran to find Boromir. He found the man of Gondor standing over a pile of orc bodies, adding more to the number.

"Boromir! Evacuate the battlefield! The demigods are angry!" Boromir understood at once and ran for the hillside. Aragorn ran behind him, fighting off the occasional orc that tried to follow.

"What do you think they are going to do?" asked Boromir.

"I know not, but if what happened in the Mines were any indication, the orcs won't stand a chance." Answered Aragorn.

When they reached the hillside, Aragorn found the hobbits. Sam was bandaging Frodo's abdomen carefully. The lucky hobbit had survived due to a mithril vest given to him by his uncle. The only damage the troll spear had done was a bruise on his stomach. Merry and Pippin, on the other hand, had gotten their hands on some fruit and were sitting on a rock, watching the battle and munching on their snacks. Aragorn rolled his eyes. _Typical hobbits. _

He looked back down on the battlefield and his jaw promptly dropped open. If the demigods had been powerful in the Mines, then they were even more powerful outside. There was a huge storm over the field. Rain and wind buffeted the orcs, making it hard for them to move or see clearly. The ground rumbled occasionally, knocking many off balance. But he hadn't seen anything yet.

Percy had created a swirling wind around him that knocked orcs off balance and blew their weapons away. He waded through the army, fusing his incredible skill with the sword with the howling wind. He was unstoppable. Around Nico were twelve skeletal warriors, who seemed unable to be destroyed. If an orc stabbed the skeleton through the ribs, the skeleton merely shrugged it off and killed the orc. Nico stood in the middle of the circle of skeletons, commanding them. Thalia had somehow risen a few inches into the air, and was stabbing dozens of orcs savagely with her spear, and occasionally using her bow and arrows to shoot far away targets. She rarely missed. Of Annabeth Aragorn saw nothing, but he saw dozens of orcs erupting into golden dust for no apparent reason across the battlefield. No matter how well-armored the orc, Annabeth always found a small chink in their armor and exploited it. Almost two thirds of the orc army was gone.

Seeing their army gone, around 50 orcs wisely decided to call a retreat and ran away from the battlefield. _Oh no, we can't have Saruman or Sauron learning about this. We have to stop them. _Thought Aragorn, he drew his sword, but he needn't have bothered.

A huge black wall rose in front of the orcs, cutting off their escape. Lightning struck randomly, killing any orc it touched. Raindrops coalesced into fists or swords that struck the orcs really hard. (**Think the time went you fell into the swimming pool & went splat) **Cracks in the ground appeared randomly. The army was completely decimated.

_Amazing… we are eight fighters against two hundred orcs, yet we won without a single scratch on us._

Aragorn watched as the demigods returned wearily. He could tell they were all still distraught from Gandalf's death. Tears were openly streaking down Nico's face. Thalia & Percy had a blank, shocked expression on their faces and Annabeth was crying hard. In the short time they had had together, they had all grown close to the old wizard. Aragorn felt like breaking down himself, but he had to be strong for the company. They had to reach safety.

He called to the Fellowship. "We have to leave now. Make haste!" He saw their shocked faces & inwardly cursed himself. He knew it sounded insensitive, but there was no choice.

"Give them a moment, for pity's sake!" called Boromir. Aragorn dearly wished he could do it. He needed a moment to himself too. His friend was gone. But his mind was made up.

"By nightfall these hills will be swarming with orcs! We have to make for the safety of Lothlorien." He called. Hopefully, the Lady of the Wood would be understanding & allow them refuge.

Aragorn watched as the Company slowly got up & started walking. Percy supported Annabeth, who was still crying quietly. Thalia & Nico walked with Merry & Pippin, each taking comfort from each other. Boromir carried Frodo gently, while Sam walked beside them. Legolas & Gimli had put aside their differences & were walking together. His heart ached as he watched their broken expressions. Like it or not, Gandalf was dead, & he was the leader now. He would have to watch over the Company. For Gandalf's sake. Gandalf.

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Annabeth

Annabeth cried gently on Percy's shoulder. They walked together with the remains of the fellowship, with Aragorn leading them. Everyone had been severely affected by Gandalf's death. She could see it in everyone's eyes. Gandalf may look like a gruff, crotchety old man at first, but all his friends knew that he was a great man & an even greater friend. He was very wise. Annabeth remembered a conversation between her & the old man in the Mines.

#_flashback#_

_It was the day after they had revealed themselves for who they really were. Everyone was sleeping. She had offered to take first watch. She sat beside Percy's bedroll, fiddling with her knife, brooding. _

_Sometimes, she wished she had inherited something more than just intelligence from her Godly parent. All her life since she had come to Camp Half Blood, she had watched other demigods develop amazing powers. Almost all the cabins inherited powers. Zeus, Poseidon & Hades kids were like the masters of the elements. Apollo & Artemis granted amazing skill with a bow. Even the seemingly "powerless" ones like Hephaestus & Hermes gave their children many different skills & abilities. The Demeter and Dionysus kids also had powers over plants. Hecate children could use magic. Ares occasionally granted his children his blessing in battles. Heck, even Aphrodite occasionally gave her children charmspeak. What could she do? Compared to demigods like Percy, Thalia or Nico, she felt like a third wheel. What did she have? A big brain & a few magic items. __**Wisdom's daughter walks alone. **__A verse she had read somewhere popped into her mind. How accurate. (__**Note, Heroes of Olympus has not happened yet, let's just assume Annabeth had read an incomplete prophecy somewhere, OK?) **__Annabeth sighed & put her face into her hands._

"_What ails you, Annabeth?" she jumped in surprise. She had thought she was the only one awake. Gandalf looked at her with his wise, concerned eyes._

"_N-N-Nothing!" she replied, a bit flustered. "What makes you think there was anything?"_

_Gandalf smiled slightly. "Young one, I know the signs of a troubled heart. Tell me what ails you. I am a sympathetic listener."_

_Slowly, Annabeth found herself telling Gandalf about her insecurity. It just seemed so natural. She trusted Gandalf. Gandalf listened to it all without a comment. When she finally stopped, out of breath, she sighed again. "You must think I'm so silly."_

_Gandalf gave a sympathetic smile. "Not at all! But I must tell you that your fears are unfounded."_

_She looked at him, confused._

_Gandalf raised his staff & the top flared momentarily with bright light. "Some powers are flashy & powerful." He then dimmed the glow, & muttered a few words. Warmth pervaded the room. "Other times, it can be subtle, unseen, yet felt by everyone."_

_Annabeth was beginning to understand. Gandalf was truly a wise person._

_Gandalf smiled at Annabeth. "I see you are beginning to understand. Your ability to lead, to command, to _think _is just as important & useful as the abilities your friends have. Do not belittle yourself, Daughter of the Wisdom Goddess. You are a force to be reckoned with, & you are in no way inferior to others."_

_Annabeth smiled at Gandalf gratefully. "I understand now, Gandalf. Thank you."_

_Gandalf nodded serenely. "Now sleep, young one. I will take over."_

_Annabeth nodded & drifted off, Gandalf's words burning in her._

_#flashback ends#_

Annabeth fought off a fresh wave of tears at the memory. _Lord Elrond had been correct. Thirteen __**was**__ an unlucky number. _The whole Company was reeling at Gandalf's loss. They would probably never be the same again. Gandalf had always been there, advising them, counselling them, leading them. His death left a gaping hole in the Fellowship. Gandalf…

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Percy

Percy had never felt as helpless as the time he saw Gandalf falling. Percy was a leader. He knew what it felt like to lose people he cared for. The Titan War had claimed many of his friends' lives. But it had never hit as hard as this. Through the journey south, he had grown close to him. He was just like Chiron back at Camp, a wise mentor & a good friend. He would miss him very dearly.

He knew it was his voice. The voice that had called them here to Middle Earth. It had been his plea for help that convinced them, the desperation & weakness in his voice. Percy had wanted to help that person. When he had come to Middle Earth & met Gandalf, he could not believe it was the same person at first. Gandalf seemed so powerful and so wise that he couldn't have been the one calling for help.

Gandalf was dead. Another death. Too many deaths had happened. He should have done something to help him. anything. He felt so weak & helpless. So many deaths, most of them because he had failed to do something. _Bianca Di Angelo, Zoe Nightshade, Charles Beckendorf. _And now Gandalf.

Gandalf was gone.

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Boromir

The man of Gondor quietly mourned Mithrandir's death. True, he had not always agreed with him, but he had admired his wisdom & power. And even though he had not wanted to, the journey had bonded them as brothers, & he looked up to Gandalf as a wise mentor like his brother did. He had seen the way that Gandalf stood against the Balrog. He had sacrificed himself so that they would have a good chance of getting away. Even as he fell, his concern had been for them. Boromir was a man of Gondor, and he honoured such courage. Gandalf had been a great man by anyone's standards.

Boromir glanced at his sword. It was still stained with black orc blood. If he had been a second faster with Aragorn & Percy, maybe they could have saved Mithrandir. Maybe they could have severed the fiery string binding his ankle. Maybe he would still be alive.

Aragorn had now taken the lead. To his own surprise, Boromir found that he did not begrudge him the position. The journey had changed him. It did not even matter that Aragorn might take the throne of Gondor. Now that Mithrandir was dead & he had stepped up, Boromir saw clearly his leadership & strength of character. He was now willing to follow him. Not that he would ever admit that out loud, of course.

The only thing to do now was to honour Mithrandir's last words. He thrust the ring from his mind. He would help the hobbit Frodo to accomplish his task, even if it killed him. It was the least he could do to honour Mithrandir's legacy.

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Frodo

Gandalf's death hit Frodo hard. Gandalf had been an amazing friend to him & to his uncle Bilbo. Now he was dead. Gandalf had always been a friend to the hobbits. His death hit him very hard. He felt as if his heart was being ripped from him. Tears streaked down his face. Gandalf was gone.

_When evening in the Shire was grey_

_His footsteps on the Hill were heard_

_Before the dawn he went away_

_On journey long without a word_

_From Wilderland to Western Shore_

_From northern waste to southern hill_

_Through dragon lair & hidden door_

_And darkling woods he walked at will_

_With dwarves and hobbits, elves and men_

_With mortal and immortal folk_

_With bird on bough and beast in den_

_In their own secret tongues he spoke_

_A deadly sword, a healing hand_

_A back that bent beneath its load_

_A trumpet voice, a burning brand_

_A weary pilgrim on the road_

_A lord of Wisdom throned he sat_

_Swift in anger, quick to laugh_

_An old man in a battered hat_

_Who leaned upon a thorny staff_

_He stood upon the bridge alone_

_And fire and shadow both defied_

_His staff was broken on the stone_

_In Khazad-dum his wisdom died._

Frodo was satisfied. He knew he had inherited some poetic sense from his uncle, & his stay at Rivendell had reinforced it. The poem described Gandalf perfectly. Gandalf was gone. Gone.

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Thoughts of all

Gandalf was gone.

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_He was falling, falling. Falling into an endless abyss. A rope of fire wrapped around his ankle, pulling him ever downwards. The beast wasn't dead yet. Severely weakened, but not dead. He drew his sword, a long, bright sword. "Let's finish this."_

_Falling. The beast writhed underneath him. Roaring in pain & anger. He stabbed it repeatedly. It was powerless. Its fire was snuffed. He thrusted one last time into the beast's heart. Black blood spurted, burning his hand. The beast was dead. It was no more._

_Falling. He was still falling. Deeper & deeper. He closed his eyes & accepted his fate. _

_Falling. Eyes closed, he hurtled downwards. Wind rushed past his face, but he would not open his eyes. Darkness. He slowly released his sword. He wouldn't need it anymore._

_Falling. Falling & falling._

_**Crash!**_

_A platform. A rickety wooden platform. He stood up slowly. He wasn't dead. He might yet live. The Valar had spared him. He looked around unsteadily. There was a black tunnel mouth in the wall. Seeing no choice, he walked into it. His sword had fallen on the platform. He picked it up; he might have use of it again. _

_The tunnel was cold, its walls clammy. Still he walked forward. The tunnel seemed to have no end, still he walked forward. He heard growls & yelps ahead. Still he walked forward._

_Orcs. Big orcs, small orcs. Fat, clumsy orcs & small, leaping orcs. They were upon him in an instant. His sword sang as it cleaved their bodies. This was what it had been made for. The sword cut through them like a knife through butter. Still more orcs advanced. More & more. Still he fought._

_Overwhelmed. Orc after orc coming at him. Orc bodies littered the floor, yet ever more came. Slowly he succumbed. Orc after orc piled on him, dragging him, biting him, scratching him. He was already tired from his earlier battle. He succumbed._

_Led to a huge chamber. A particularly fat, heavy orc sat on a throne. It asked questions in its harsh, guttural tongue. He gave no answer. _

_The orc was enraged to hear the beast was dead. Still, they could do nothing against him. They were only orcs. The orc smiled. A figure approached from behind him._

"_Saruman!" the gasp tore out of him. His enemy was here. There was no hope for him. He had been captured. Now his enemy was here to torment him._

"_Hello, Gandalf."_

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**Hi! I know this chapters shorter than usual, & this is mostly a filler chapter, but please bear with me. & sorry for the cliffhanger, it just came so naturally. :p **

**Looking back, maybe this chapter wasn't my best work. Tell me what you think.**

**Anyway, remember! Every 5****th**** review gets an answer! That's a promise.**

**Keep reviewing! I read somewhere that "pms & reviews are a grace granted by the readers to the author" So true…**

**Anyway, the poem up there wasn't mine, as if I was smart enough. Im only 15. The poem was written by Tolkien in the Fellowship of the Ring.**

**Stay tuned!**

**PJcrazy signing out**


	12. Lothlorien

**Hey guys. I'm here with the next chapter. i have an important announcement that I will make later at the end of the story. I thank you all for continuing to read this story of mine, and for following it and adding it to your favourite stories list. A special thanks to those who reviewed. I got less reviews than I would have liked in the last chapter, but doesn't really matter. I just want to thank you all for giving a fifteen year old kid the motivation and the encouragement to write.**

**A brief answer to the 85****th**** review**

**To supergreekgeek. Yes, I will try to include all that happens. Don't worry. I already have many ideas on what will happen. I hope you like them and continue to read. Suggestions from you are welcome, though, as you are obviously a veteran of LotR. ;P**

**Anyway, continue reading and read the announcement at the bottom! Enjoy the story! This will mostly be in Galadriel's P.O.V**

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_I amar prestar sen_

_Han mathon ne nen_

_Han mathon ne chen_

_A han noston ned wilith_

…_._

_The world is changed._

_I feel it in the water,_

_I feel it in the earth_

_I smell it in the air_

_Much that once was is lost_

_For few now live who remember it_

Galadriel

Queen Galadriel was troubled. Walking among the great trees of Lothlorien, the stately elven queen pondered upon the troubling events sweeping Middle Earth. The forest was beautiful today, the great trees provided a cooling shade, and the soft grass underfoot was an endless green carpet. Beautiful flowers of all colors adorned the ground here and there, and a clear bubbling brook flowed beside her. But Galadriel had no eyes for them. Her heart was troubled. Disturbing reports had been coming in from the east. The orcs were increasing in number and boldness, Darkness had settled over Mordor once again, and the Nine had been seen abroad. Things were changing very rapidly. The Ring of Power had been found, and she knew Sauron would stop at nothing to retrieve it.

In her desperation, she decided to consult her mirror. Her mirror was a mysterious magical object forged by the ancient elves, and even she did not know everything about it. It showed many things, the past, the present, the future, it showed things both known and unknown. It showed the impossible as well as the probable. It could show many visions both asked for and unasked for. Galadriel did not understand it fully, but she knew it was necessary. Slowly, she gazed into the silvery surface of the mirror, wondering what she would see._ Show me the fate of Middle Earth._

_The mirror darkened. A blur of images formed, changing rapidly. Images flashed across its silvery surface increasingly quickly. Against a black background were four Youths, wielding unusual weapons, two were male, the other two were female. They radiated a sense of power, even through the vision. The oldest male had sea green eyes and black hair. He had an unmistakable air of command in his eyes, he looked no more than sixteen years of age. Beside him was a girl with golden hair like hers, she had storm grey eyes that belied intelligence and wisdom well beyond her years. The second female had sky blue eyes and short black hair. She radiated a silver aura like the moon. The youngest was a boy dressed all in black. He also had an aura, but it was an aura of shadow and death, yet Galadriel sensed that he was a force for good. She knew now why the mirror would show her this, but she knew it had to be important. _

_Then, the image changed. Image after image formed, flashing by as fast as thought. Galadriel saw the ancient Caverns of Moria, and a grey figure plummeting down, she saw the Fellowship coming to Lothlorien, then leaving on elven boats through the river Anduin. The images in the mirror became fragmented and blurred, as fate was still uncertain. Many different fates, each hinged on the fellowship's actions. In one, she saw the man of Gondor riding at full speed towards his city, the One Ring glinting on his hand, in another, she saw the same man dying from three puncture wounds in his body. She saw Saruman forging a ring of his own and challenging Sauron, in another, Saruman cowered before three shining figures in white. She saw the Ents going to war, in another, she saw Orcs burning Fangorn forest. an elf and a dwarf and fought together in battle, in another, they killed each other and fragmented the fellowship. A hobbit with a knife raised over a cowering Gollum, Gollum lunging at the hobbits. The Youths stepping though a shining doorway, ignoring the cries of the Fellowship and abandoning Middle Earth, The same doorway, but the children were turning away from it. Every action, every inaction had significance to the quest. Things undone, things done, all these could throw off the quest. The quest truly stood upon the edge of a knife, ready to fall to either side and fail. _

_A lone girl ran down a dark valley, knife in hand. A Young man fell over a tall cliff. A black figure standing on a wall in Helms Deep with arms raised, a girl in battle armor shooting lightning bolts at a Ringwraith. A hobbit with a knife and phial walked down a dark cavern, a hobbit lunged at the back of the Witch King. A hobbit fighting off a thin, white figure on the slopes of a mountain, a hobbit standing before a troll. An alliance of Elves, Men and Dwarves, cheering while a dwarf and an elf shook hands. A man of Gondor running through a battlefield filled with orcs and the gigantic Mumakil, a tall man unsheathing a long, gleaming sword. A white figure riding through a field, staff in hand. _

_Locations flashed before her eyes. the black slopes of Mount Doom, the black, malevolent fortress of Barad-Dur, The tower of Minas Morgul, the spider webs of Cirith Ungol. The Ents moving in Fangorn Forest, Orthanc of Isengard, The Dead Marshes with fires and rotting corpses. Edoras of Rohan, The White city of Gondor, the peaceful forest of Ithilien, The beautiful town of Hobbiton and Bree. The trees of Lothlorien, the darkness of Mirkwood and the dwarves in Erebor, the field of Pellenor and the plains of Gogoroth. The Argonath at Emyn Muil, the fortress of Helms Deep. A city like none she had ever seen before, iron buildings that reached for the sky, iron birds that transported people through the air, iron carriages without horses. Another city, gleaming white, on a tall mountain, a gigantic room with a fireplace in the middle, surrounded by twelve giant thrones. A place with cabins, an arena, a dining hall and a forest, with many Children that also seemed to have strange auras. _

The visions shut off. Galadriel stepped back, her mind reeling from the visions she had seen. _What did they mean? _Galadriel slowly walked back through the forest, barely looking where she was going, trying to make sense of the visions. There were too many things, it was too confusing. She slowly sat down beneath the shade of a _mallorn _tree and closed her eyes. There was no use thinking about it now. She decided to use her favorite way of calming herself down—to listen to the forest, just to listen to nature.

_The grass rustled softly as the wind blew, birds sang merrily in the tree, all in different tones. Whistling, chirping, hooting, the forest was alive with birdsong. Trees waved in the breeze, their leaves rustling gently, as if whispering to other trees. The sound of water flowing in a forest creek could be heard, along with the occasional _plop _of a surfacing fish. The sound of small animals moving through the forest, the light, lilting tones of elven conversation. _

Eyes closed, listening to the forest, Galadriel smiled. There was nothing like the peacefulness and beauty of Lothlorien to calm her down. She loved these quiet moments when she could just enjoy the forest. Though her heart longed for the day when she would leave for Valinor, the Grey Havens, the dwelling place of the High Elves, she also loved the beauty and diversity of Middle Earth. She would not leave for a long time yet.

She was disturbed though, when she sensed something else entering her forest. something evil, something foreign. She clapped her hands together once. Five minutes later, one of the elven guards, Haldir, emerged from the forest, panting slightly.

He bowed low. "My Queen."

Galadriel smiled slightly. "There are newcomers to Lothlorien. Take them to me, but do not harm them, they are friends." She commanded.

Haldir grimaced. "Even the dwarf, my Queen?" he asked hesitantly.

She nodded slowly. "Even the dwarf."

Haldir sighed, but he gave another bow and bounded off into the trees."

Galadriel then turned her attention back to the newcomers. Slowly, she extended her senses again to the edges of her forest, listening.

"_Stay close, young hobbits." a gruff, low voice said. A dwarf was speaking. "they say a great sorceress lives in the woods, an elf witch of terrible power. All who look upon her fall under her spell and are never seen again." _

A smile touched her face. She wondered whether to be insulted or amused. _Elf witch?_ Galadriel then sensed other presences, twelve of them. Among them she recognized a few. Aragorn, Isildur's heir, and beloved of her granddaughter. Legolas, son of Thranduil, King of Mirkwood and a great friend of Celeborn. There was another man and a dwarf, whom from what Elrond had told her should be Boromir, the man of Gondor and Gimli, son of Gloin. She sensed the Ringbearer, of course. Frodo Baggins, the young hobbit and his loyal follower, Samwise Gangee. There were two other hobbits and four presences which she could not identify. Curious. She continued to listen.

"_Aragorn, this is not wise." Muttered Boromir nervously. "I, too have heard tales of the Lady of the Golden Wood. I do not deem it a good decision to enter this cursed forest."_

"_Peace, Boromir. I am on good terms with the Elves of Lothlorien. They will not harm us." Answered Aragorn._

Galadriel heard the Elven guards slowly creeping up on them to ambush them. The dwarf was still speaking. Slowly, she tried to contact the Ringbearer. "_Frodo."_ The hobbit paused, evidently, he had heard her.

"_Well here's one dwarf they won't ensnare so easily. I have the eyes of a hawk and ears of a fox._

"_Shut up Gimli!" came another voice. A voice of an adolescent male. "In case you haven't noticed, we're surrounded!"_

_Another voice was heard, a girl's voice, calm and reasonable. "We know you are up there. Reveal yourselves, please. This is surely not the way to treat friends and allies. And please lower your bows, we have no wish to fight." _

_There was a muffled curse from Haldir, then the bushes rustled as the elves showed themselves._

"_the dwarf breathes so loud we could shoot him in the dark." Muttered Haldir. _

Galadriel had to smile. Slowly, she walked back to her quarters to get ready to meet the newcomers.

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Haldir

Haldir and his troop had just spotted the intruders walking into the wood. Quietly, he motioned to them to surround them. He watched from a high vantage point as his troop leapt about the trees with barely a rustle of noise, slowly surrounding the hapless newcomers.

The dwarf was _still _talking. Haldir couldn't believe it. the dwarf had insulted his queen. Angrily, he notched a wooden arrow to his powerful bow and aimed it straight at the dwarf. The arrow would pierce his helmet and put an end to his blabbering. Looking around, he saw at least six other bows aimed at the dwarf. Abruptly, he remembered his queen's command not to harm them. With a sigh, he lowered his bow.

"Well, here's one dwarf she won't ensnare so easily. I have the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox!" boasted the dwarf.

"Shut up, Gimli! In case you haven't noticed, we're surrounded!" shouted one of the Youths.

The girl with the golden hair then spoke up, her eyes looking straight into Haldir's eyes. "We know you are up there. Reveal yourselves, please. This is surely not the way to treat friends and allies. And please lower your bows. We have no wish to fight." She spoke calmly, reasonably. Haldir was shocked, to say the least.

He gave a muffled curse and motioned to his troop. Slowly, they descended from the trees. A few of them glared angrily at the dwarf. Despite himself, he was impressed that the humans had even detected their presence. They were perceptive indeed.

The dwarf looked extremely shocked. Haldir couldn't resist. "The dwarf breathes so loud we could shoot him in the dark."

The fellowship burst into laughter, but Haldir noticed that it was tinged with loss. perhaps they had lost somebody. The dwarf looked extremely affronted, though.

Aragorn spoke up. "Haldir of Lorien, we come here for your help. We need your protection."

Haldir raised an eyebrow and glanced at the dwarf. "All of you?" he asked Aragorn reluctantly.

"Aragorn! These woods are perilous! We should turn back!" yelled the dwarf.

Haldir glanced at the dwarf in distaste. "You have entered the realm of the Lady of the Wood. You cannot turn back." _Though if the Lady allowed it I would kick you out personally…_

"And turn back to what?" the girl with the black hair spoke up for the first time. "Moria and the Orcs?"

_Moria? Orcs?_

Grumbling, the dwarf subsided. Haldir sighed and pulled out a blindfold. He glanced contemptuously at the dwarf. "We cannot allow a dwarf to see the secrets of the Golden Wood. You must be blindfolded."

The dwarf glared at him. "I will not consent to this. I will never submit to an elf." His hand went to the haft of his axe.

Haldir groaned. "A plague on the stiff necks of dwarves!"

Then the oldest of the youths took the dwarf aside and started speaking to him. the golden haired girl joined him. the others looked on, amused. Haldir watched as the dwarf's face grew angry, then defiant, then frightened, then sullen. The dwarf walked over to him, grumbling resentfully. Behind him the two young adults made a strange gesture of slapping one palm with the other's palm in the air, evidently a gesture of success.

Haldir tried his best not to grin sadistically as the dwarf approached. "Are you ready, dwarf?"

The dwarf glanced at him. "I consent." Haldir moved forward, but the dwarf raised his hand to stop him. "on one condition, that Legolas also shares my blindness." The dwarf glanced back and smirked at the elf's horrified expression.

"I will not consent to this! I am an elf and a kinsman!" the elf defended.

The oldest of the young ones groaned. "And now let us say… a plague on the stiff necks of elves!" the others chuckled at this, and even Haldir found himself smiling at the joke.

Thankfully, Aragorn stepped in. "Alright, we'll_ all_ be blindfolded." He shot an exasperated glance at Legolas and Gimli. "Is that agreeable to the pair of you?"

Slowly, grudgingly, they nodded.

Haldir sighed. "Well now _that's _settled," he pulled out a blindfold. "Alright, who will go first?"

Later, as Haldir led the blindfolded company through the woods, he had to chuckle at how colorfully dwarves could curse when they stubbed their toes on the multiple rocks by the wayside. The lady couldn't blame him for a couple of stubbed toes, could she?

Finally, they reached the city of Lothlorien. He untied their blindfolds one by one, leaving the dwarf for last. Multiple gasps issued from them as the newcomers took in the sight of their beautiful city. Even Haldir, who lived here and had seen the view many times before, was still struck by the beauty of the forest city whenever he saw it.

A large hill rose out ofthe woods. Upon the hill rise many mighty Mallorn Trees, the golden trees that only grew here, taller than any others. Nestled high in the crown of the mallorns, the beautiful city of the elves was built . Houses were built on the broad boughs of the mighty trees. Stairways and courtyards were built all over Lorien. Everything gleamed in the low rays of the late afternoon sun, green, gold, and silver. To the east, the palegleam of Anduin, the great river flowed benignly on its course to the sea. It was truly a beautiful place, and one of the last places on Middle Earth where the elves could be found other than Rivendell. Haldir loved his city. The fellowship stood before the great forest, staring in awe.

"Well? Are we going to stand here all day? My feet are aching and I'm hungry!" piped up one of the hobbits.

Haldir grinned. "Alright, young one. I will take you to my Queen."

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Galadriel

The company had come before Celeborn and Galadriel in the leafy courtyard. The Fellowship of the Ring stood before them, ragged and weary. The hobbits and the Youths looked ready to collapse; they were swaying on their feet. Aragorn and Boromir stood tall and strong, as befit men of their status, but Galadriel could see the signs of fatigue and great sorrow hidden in their faces. Legolas looked around in wide-eyed wonder, having heard of Lothlorien of the elves all his life, while the dwarf Gimli stood sullenly, without a word. Galadriel felt pity on them, she wanted to let them rest, but this matter could not wait. As she observed the members of the Fellowship, she suddenly realized that Mithrandir was not with them. Where could he be?

Her husband took her hand, and together they walked towards the fellowship. "Twelve there are, yet thirteen set out from Rivendell. Tell me, where is Gandalf, for I much desire to speak with him." Said Celeborn.

Suddenly, a flash of remembrance struck her. She remembered looking into her mirror, and seeing a grey figure plummeting down deep into the Caverns of Moria. She now realized who it had been, and what it had meant. "He has fallen into shadow…"

Celeborn looked to her with a questioning expression, opening his mind to hers. She shared the visions she had seen with him, and he withdrew with a thoughtful expression, pondering over the things she had shown him. She looked to the company and gave them a warning. "The quest stands upon the edge of a knife, stray but a little and it will fail, to the ruin of all." She saw their expressions fall. "Yet hope remains whilst the Company is true."

As she looked into the eyes of the Company one by one, she tried gently to probe their thoughts, to find out their inner feelings. She wanted to help them, to reassure them. To tell them that there was hope, that all was not lost yet.

First was Aragorn, the Heir to the throne of Gondor. He carried himself differently from when he had first come to Lorien. She saw his fear of failing and letting his people down as Isildur had done, he feared repeating the mistake of his ancestor. Galadriel was surprised. He was older, wiser, and he had a new bearing, as if he had accepted his fate to rule. He had certainly changed from the young, wild ranger who had come many, many years ago. Now, he met her gaze evenly, and did not flinch as she spoke to him in his mind.

"_Aragorn, do not fear. You have become a great man, and you will not let your people down. You will stay strong, and you will rule your people well. You will __**not **__fail your people as Isildur did. Do not give up, Aragorn. Do not."_

Aragorn gave a calm smile. _"I thank you, My Lady."_

Galadriel smiled back at him and turned her gaze to Boromir_. _Boromir flinched as she touched his mind, but did not retaliate. She saw his fear for his city, and his father, and she tried to talk to him.

"_Boromir, I know what is it you fear, but do not lose faith. Even now, there is hope left. You will have a part to play in the events to come. Do not let your fear overcome you. I know what is it that tempts you, but do not give in to it. you are strong, Boromir. Do not give in to it."_

Boromir seemed to think about it, then he gave a hesitant nod. New resolve burned in his eyes. "_I cannot see it, my lady. I see Gondor burning in my dreams. I see the White Tower falling. I see my people dying. But I thank you for your words. I swear I shall not lose hope."_

To Legolas, she simply said "_You are strong, but not even the strongest fight alone. Stand with your friends, and do not shun the dwarf. Dwarves are different from us, it is true, but their hearts are brave and stout. Inside, they are not so different from us."_

To Gimli, "_Do not let your hatred for elves blind you, Gimli, son of Gloin. Elves are not your enemy. Do not be controlled by what your race believes. You will play a big part in the coming war. We will need you to bridge the gap between dwarves and elves._

The dwarf looked extremely disconcerted, but he looked at Galadriel and gave a short bow of respect.

She turned to the hobbits. To Merry and Pippin, she said. "_You are young, but do not let others look down on you. Do not give up, and even when situations are dark, do not lose hope. Also, laughter is an amazing medicine. Do not lose your ability to cheer people up."_

The two hobbits visibly brightened, and they both bowed low.

To Sam, she said. "_Stay by your master, most loyal of hobbits. Do not let him leave you. He will need your help greatly in his quest, and you must be there to help him. You will go through great trials, but do not give up hope, and encourage your master as well."_

Sam nodded, resolve burning in his eyes. "_I will, My Lady. I'll never leave him. If a dragon swallows him up, he will have Samwise Gamgee to reckon with. If he goes to the moon, I'll find a way to follow him. Don't you worry."_

Galadriel smiled and turned to the Ringbearer. "_Welcome, Frodo of the Shire. You bear a great burden, perhaps the greatest in the company. You will suffer pain, toil and great exhaustion in your quest, yet you will have friends beside you, friends who will help you. You have a great task to accomplish, Frodo Baggins, but I have faith that you will have the strength to complete your quest."_

Frodo looked overcome with emotion. His hand unconsciously went to a chain around his neck, fingering something. He nodded in thanks to Galadriel.

Galadriel then clapped her hands together once. A group of elves nearby walked over. "Take our guests to their quarters. Give them everything they need." She turned to the rest of the Fellowship. "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Go now, and rest, for you are weary with sorrow and much toil. Tonight, you will sleep in peace." Almost as an afterthought, she looked to the four young adults and requested. "Could you please stay for a moment, I wish to speak to you."

She noticed their eyes all flicked to the eldest. He seemed to hesitate, and he shared a look with the golden haired girl, who nodded. He then turned back to her. "We will, My Lady."

Galadriel smiled. "Come."

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Nico

_The elf lady was creepy. _As Nico followed the Elf Queen through the huge, dark forest, he couldn't help but feel a bit creeped out. The lady was so otherworldly, so distant, and the way she looked at him, as if he was a puzzle piece she couldn't figure out seriously disconcerted him. add that to the fact that it was night and the forest was dark, and they were following her to a strange place made Nico more than just a little nervous. _Were all elves this creepy? Legolas wasn't. maybe it's a lady elf thing. Wait…maybe not. Arwen wasn't this creepy. in fact, she acted just like a normal lady, talking and laughing with us and putting Thalia in a dress. The food in Rivendell was great. I wonder how the food here tastes like…_ Nico then slapped himself. _Stupid ADHD._

Looking around at the enormous forest, Nico's night vision picked up small animals in the shadows walking around. He also saw a few elves in the shadows trying to watch them inconspicuously, following them with their eyes. He turned his gaze back forward. The lady was like a white wraith, walking, almost floating ahead. Nico swore he saw a slight white glow around her, making her look even more otherworldly. Nervously, he tried to inconspicuously summon a stygian iron dagger, just in case, only to have his hand slapped by Thalia.

"What are you doing, Death boy? Do you want to assassinate the Lady of the Golden Wood and face the wrath of the elves?" she hissed at him.

"She's creepy! I want to have a form of defense just in case!" he hissed back.

Suddenly, Annabeth was at his side. "What are you two doing?"

"nothing…"

"Come on… she's waiting for us."

Nico grumbled and hurried to catch up. A few moments later, they emerged into a starry glade. there was a mirror with golden edges adorned with elvish runes mounted on an ornate stone table in the middle of the clearing. Galadriel walked over to the mirror and turned to face them. Nico heard a sound behind him, and he turned to see Frodo standing there too. Together they stood, watching Galadriel warily.

"This is the Mirror of Galadriel. It is a magical mirror that can show events of old, events happening now, and events that have yet to come to pass. The mirror can be bidden to show many things, yet it can also show you things unbidden. Often, it is those that are the most profitable. The mirror can be cryptic, and I warn you that what you see might not come to pass, as the future is influenced by our actions. I believe that all of you are tied very closely to the fate of Middle Earth, and so I offer you this chance. Would you look into the mirror?" she said quietly.

_Peer into a magical mirror that will probably not give me a straight answer and probably confuse me more than ever? Gee, no thanks. This is just like the Oracle back home, I guess. Except the oracle is a living thing and spews green smoke. Whatever. _Nico debated with himself, then shook his head slowly. He had heard that knowledge of the future could destroy you, and if he saw something, he would probably second-guess himself constantly. "No thank you, My Lady." He muttered. He saw Thalia similarly backing away, and Percy too. But Annabeth stood up and walked over to the queen.

"Annabeth, no! Don't do it, Annabeth. knowledge of the future can destroy you. That's the reason you and Chiron didn't tell me the prophecy until I was sixteen, wasn't it? It's too dangerous. You may not be ready for this." Nico agreed fervently. He didn't want his best friend and "big sister" to get hurt.

"I have to, Percy. We are in a foreign world, remember? We don't know anything on what's going to happen. We need to know more. You must understand, Percy. I'm the daughter of Athena. I have to know. " Annabeth eyes pleaded at him to understand. "It will be ok. Its not that different from consulting the oracle, isn't it?" slowly, reluctantly, Percy nodded, worry clear in his eyes.

Nico watched as Annabeth turned to Galadriel. "I will look into the mirror."

Frodo also walked up. "I will too."

Galadriel nodded once. "So be it."

Nico watched worriedly as Annabeth gazed into the mirror a trifle hesitantly. He saw Percy standing with a very tense expression, his hands balled into fists. Annabeth looked into the mirror, and her expression changed. Her face became wistful, homesick. Then it became an expression of shock. "Mother! NO!" Her face became fearful and stormy. Then, it changed again. Annabeth face became surprised, shocked and grieved. "Gandalf? Gandalf!" then she saw something else that made her give a scream of grief, pain and pure terror. "Percy!" Percy immediately ran forward, only to be stopped by Galadriel, she shook her head gently, and Percy seemed to deflate, watching Annabeth with a helpless expression. Annabeth's face became panicked, her eyes dilated with fear. Her hand went to her knife. She became very still. She continued gazing into the mirror for a few moments, then wrenched herself away.

She fell to the grass, tears leaking from her eyes, chest heaving. Percy ran forward and held her gently. She started sobbing uncontrollably, helplessly. Nico ran forward, full of worry. He was closely followed by Thalia. Even Galadriel looked distressed. "I confess that I did not foresee this. this has never happened before." She held Annabeth's hand in her own. "I apologize." _That's probably the most human I've ever seen her act._

Annabeth nodded softly. "it's not your fault. I chose to do it."

"do you want to tell us what you saw?" asked Nico hesitantly.

"later… I need time to think."

Nico and Percy glanced at Galadriel. She gave a curt nod. "Go and rest now. I will speak with Frodo."

Slowly, they walked back through the woods, huddled around a distraught Annabeth. She was still crying softly from what she had seen. Nico remembered her saying. "_Mother! NO!" _and "_Gandalf!" _and then the worst. "_Percy!"_ the last word had been screamed with grief and fear. Nico wondered just what she had seen. He shivered involuntarily. _Elves were creepy._

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Galadriel. (again)

Galadriel watched in surprise and worry as different expressions coursed over the young human girl's face. Homesickness, anger, worry, shock, grief, hope, fear and pain were displayed on her visage. She wondered just what the girl had seen. The first experience of looking into the mirror was always disconcerting, but none had ever had such a reaction. Annabeth wrenched herself away and fell to the ground sobbing. Her friends immediately ran to her side, holding her, whispering comfort into her ear. Galadriel saw just how much Annabeth had been affected. Guilt immediately coursed through her, and she knelt to the ground and took Annabeth's hand in her own. "I apologize."

Annabeth looked up at her and answered. "It's not your fault. I chose to do it." Galadriel was surprised at her readiness to forgive. She had expected her to be angry at her. She was obviously wise beyond her years. Galadriel had no doubt she was capable of handling what she had seen in time.

Nico and Percy looked to her, asking an unspoken question. In their eyes she saw mistrust and slight anger. She sighed and gave a nodded to them. "Go and rest now. I will speak with Frodo." The young hobbit had hung back throughout the proceedings, and his face was pale. Galadriel fervently hoped that he would still trust her. What had happened earlier was definitely no way to gain someone's trust. She watched as the young adults walked back to their rooms, protectively huddled around Annabeth. She hoped they would not hold it against her.

She then turned to Frodo. "I have no explanation for what has happened, but I would never ask anyone to go through that. I will no longer ask you to look. You may return to your rooms too, Ringbearer."

To her surprise, Frodo shook his head resolutely. "I will still do it." Galadriel had to marvel at his bravery, and she stepped back to allow him to look. The young hobbit walked over and stared deep into the shadowy depths of the mirror.

After a while, his young face lit up with hope. "Gandalf!" then shock and anger. "Gandalf… "The vision must have shifted, as Galadriel watched, despair and anger come over his face. "No…NO! Not our home…please no…" horror was clear in his face, as if he was seeing something dear to him destroyed. "Merry…Pippin…Sam…NO!" Suddenly, he stiffened. Frodo seemed mesmerized by an image in the water. As Galadriel watched, his face got closer and closer. The ring dangled from his neck, almost touching the cool glass of the mirror. Fear, horror and disgust were in his face. With a yell, he pushed himself away from the mirror, his hand clutching the ring tightly on his neck.

Galadriel sighed. "I know what it was you saw, for it is also in my mind." _Constantly searching for the Ring on my hand. "_It is the future, Frodo." She said, softly, sadly. "It is what will come to pass if you fail." Galadriel's heart ached to see this young hobbit bearing such a heavy burden. She dearly wished that the cursed ring had never been forged. What the young hobbit said next surprised her utterly.

"If you ask it of me, I will give you the One Ring." His arm was outstretched, the ring sat in his palm. Such a small thing, such a pretty thing.

"You offer it to me freely…" Galadriel was touched by the gesture. She knew it was dangerous, but her mind began to wander on paths she thought she had locked away long ago, her secret desires surfacing. "I will not deny my heart has greatly desired this." Already her hand was reaching out. Already she was moving forward. Already her mind was thinking of the future with her as the ruler.

An unknown feeling coursed through her. She felt herself grow in stature. She spoke in a voice not her own. "In place of a dark Lord, you shall have a queen! Not dark, but beautiful and terrible as the dawn! Treacherous as the sea! Stronger than the foundations of the earth! All shall love me and despair!" Euphoria and excitement coursed through her. Strength was in her arms, power was in her hands. But there was something in her mind, yelling at her, trying to stop her arm from closing around the ring. She tried to suppress it, but that part of her mind grew stronger and stronger, returning sense and wisdom to her. _What am I saying? I do not wish to rule! This is not me. This is the cursed Ring tempting me. I am stronger than this. I am Queen Galadriel of Lothlorien. I will not fall to this device of the enemy!_ With a herculean effort, Galadriel wrenched her hand away from Frodo. The poor hobbit was pale and shaking with fear from what he had witnessed, a battle of wills that could have very well decided the fate of Middle Earth.

A cool peace filled her entire being. She gave a short, sad laugh. "I passed the test." She laughed again, not of amusement, but of an effort to overcome herself. "I will remain Galadriel."

Frodo looked at her sadly. He, too, had just understood the significance of what had happened. He sagged. "I cannot do this alone." Raw fear and sadness was in his voice.

Galadriel knelt and put her hand to his shoulder. "You are the Ringbearer, Frodo. To bear a ring of power is to be alone. This task was appointed to you, and if you do not find a way, no one can." She gave him a reassuring smile. "But you will not be alone in this endeavor. Many others are on your side, and they will do their utmost to make sure you succeed."

Frodo nodded a sad smile on his face. "Then I know what I must do. It's just…" Galadriel heard the tones of vulnerability in his voice. "…I'm afraid to do it."

Galadriel looked deep into his eyes. "Even the smallest person can change the course of the future. Remember your uncle Bilbo, and how he helped the dwarves reclaim their treasure in a dragon lair. No one is above fear, but one can overcome it when they are determined and hopeful."

Frodo nodded, and not for the first time, Galadriel saw a young, broken child instead of a fifty year old hobbit. She gave him a short hug, and sent him on his way. He needed his rest.

As the Ringbearer disappeared into the shadows of the wood, Galadriel stood up and returned too to her rooms. _May the Valar help us all and guide us when we need it._

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**I hope you enjoyed this chapter**

**So here is the announcement.**

**Recently, I have reread my story from the viewpoint of a cynical reader. There are some things I'm satisfied with, others…not so much. Now, I am not sure I should continue writing at all. I'm really conflicted here. on one hand, I like writing, on the other hand, I don't know if I should continue, as I don't really think I'm that good of a writer. Please review and tell me what you think. I really need your opinion, guys. Do you really think this story is good enough to be continued? Or do you think this is a boring crapfic that should be deleted? I'm really not sure what to do. I don't think myself that good of a writer. I need your views and opinions. Please review and tell me if I should continue or not. If I get ten affirmatives I will continue. If not, well, I may put this story on a brief hiatus while I try to improve my writing skills. This story will not be abandoned, though, as I love this story. Its just a matter of **_**when **_**I continue it.**

**i really hope that you will review and tell me what you think of my story. i need to know what you readers out there are thinking. thanks**

**By the way, offer of the Q and A in every 5****th**** review still stands. So if you're the eightieth reviewer you get to ask a question.**

**Pjcrazy**


	13. Days of Rest

**Hi everybody! I am very touched by the amount of people who encouraged me in various reviews and pms. I received nearly thirty reviews telling me to continue! Thank you so much. It meant a lot to me. Really, it meant a lot.**

**Here's some news about the story.**

**We've passed 100 reviews! That is just awesome, guys. It's just awesome. Thank you all so so much. Words cannot express how grateful I am. You guys are all awesome.**

**Secondly, I HAVE A BETA! ****1429012827 has generously volunteered to help me check my story for errors and improve upon my ideas. She helped a lot in writing Boromir's battle. Thank you so much for helping me. Your changes really improved the quality of the story. **

**oh yeah, you must have noticed that my chapters are getting longer and longer. this chapter alone, not including the author's notes numbered 7000 words. is it getting too long for you? need your opinions...**

**Thanks so much for reading! Enjoy this chapter!**

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_Boromir_

_Boromir stood front and centre of the dark battlefield like a beacon for the Army of Gondor behind him. He gripped his sword in one hand, his shield in the other, and glanced at his brother Faramir who was doing the same thing. It was almost midnight, and the darkness provided the creatures of Mordor with protection and endless strength. Behind him, Minas Tirith, the white city of Gondor seemed rather pale compared to the darkness ahead. Catapults hurled stones and flaming projectiles at the enemy. Archers fired volley after volley of arrows that landed in the enemy ranks like rain. Boromir pulled out his precious horn, the Horn of Gondor, raised it to his lips and blew a loud, piercing blast. Everyone cried out in defiance and charged._

_The army seemed endless, for the darkness itself seemed to be brewing more and more orcs. Gigantic Mumakil, huge, grey beasts with a long, grasping limb at the front of their heads and pairs of long, sharp tusks stomped over the battlefield. (__**NOTE: Limb=trunk. They had no knowledge of elephant anatomy at the time.)**__Trolls, giant trolls like the ones in Moria lumbered around, swiping at anything within reach. Easterlings and Southrons, men who had gone over to the enemy attacked savagely, crying in unknown tongues. _

_Boromir was gradually losing hope. What could men do against such relentless hatred? Wave after wave of enemies stepped over the dead bodies of their predecessors and attacked. He was tiring, yes, but the enemies were not, and sooner or later they would get a lucky strike at him. However, he was a steward of Gondor; he would at least go down fighting and die a warrior's death. He shot a glance at his brother, who noticed and nodded grimly. Faramir knew what he was thinking, perhaps he was also thinking the same thing._

_ They seemed to have been fighting for hours. His arm was as heavy as lead, and his sword was wet with dark blood. Every step was heavier than the next, for an impressive array of bruises and scratches, and a few bleeding wounds covered his body, sapping his already diminishing strength. Boromir made a mental note to himself. If he survived this, he would take a long vacation to Ithilien, away from the annoying business of being a son of the steward. Exhaustion and pain marked his every move, but still he continued to fight. He would fight until the death, if need be. where there was still life, there was still hope._

_The battlefield seemed to have lightened. A pale light came from the east, slowly tearing the darkness away from them. Why was that? _

_"__Hold your ground, Men of Gondor!" Triumph was stamped on Faramir's face. "The worst part of the night is over, and we are still standing. Dawn is coming and VICTORY WILL BE OURS!"_

_Boromir mentally slapped himself as he listened to his brother's rousing speech. How could he have not realized? Dawn was coming! He turned to his men, and saw new morale and determination on their faces. He raised his arm and called out "Let us send these beasts back where they BELONG!"_

_ His men gave a tired but defiant cry, and fought with renewed vigor. They were going to win. Boromir could feel it. With new strength, he cut down dozens of orcs again and again. He turned to his brother, a fierce smile on his face, his brother grinned back at him. Victory was near. One by one, the orcs were felled. The battle was theirs._

_They had won. The day had been won._

_But then it all went wrong. A piercing shriek filled the air and made Boromir's blood run cold and curdle. Sudden fear paralyzed him. Around him, the men of Gondor stood frozen, faces white with fear and despair. To the east, a shape approached. A huge, black figure, with two enormous wings like sails that beat up and down slowly, its wingtips skimming the battlefield. A black dragon-like beast flew towards them, and astride it was…a Nazgul. Not just any Ringwraith, it was the Witch King himself, a twisted crown on his forehead, a Morgul blade by his side. And just then, more shrieks split the air._

_Despair washed in waves over Boromir. The Nine wraiths, all of them. The Nine were here, and there was no defense against them. The men of Gondor dropped their weapons and ran towards the city in desperation. Boromir couldn't blame them; his own legs were turning to jelly. _

_Suddenly, the worst happened. Faramir, his brother,his brave, stupid brother stepped up to face the Witch King. he raised his sword in defiance of the wraith.  
_

_"__No!" Boromir raced after his brother, desperate to save him, but he was too late. Faramir sank to his knees, a black dart embedded in his heart. The Nazgul made a hissing sound, which took Boromir a moment to realize that it was laughter. Tears welled up in his eyes as he ran towards his brother. Faramir gasped weakly, trying to take in another jagged breath. He grasped his hand. Dark shadows passed over him, and he saw the Nazgul heading for the White City. _

_Boromir knelt beside his brother amongst a sea of corpses and watched helplessly from afar as the Nazgul utterly laid waste to his beloved city. Heart wrenching sobs broke from him as the city caught fire. The fell beasts repeatedly smashed into Minas Tirith, until it finally crumbled and fell, breaking into countless, irreparable pieces. Detachedly, he heard the screams and wails of his people as they were destroyed by the Nazgul or eaten by the beasts. His heart died within him as his brother drew his last breath. A shadow extended over Gondor now. The Nazgul walked among the blackened ruins of his once-great city, and then took off on their fell beasts._

_Everything he had was gone. GONE!_

Boromir sat straight up in his leafy bed, gasping, and lost his balance. He fell straight to the ground with a loud "Oof!" The hard knock cleared his head, though. It had all been only a dream. He had been having this same nightmare for nearly a week now. Quickly, he took in his surroundings. He was in the elf forest, he was safe. His brother was still in Ithilien, Gondor was still safe. He heaved a sigh of relief and lay back on the bed.

He couldn't sleep. His nightmare kept coming back to haunt him. In a bid to calm himself, he mentally replayed the words the Lady had said to him: _"__Boromir, I know what it is you fear, but do not lose faith. Even now, there is hope left. You will have a part to play in the events to come. Do not let your fear overcome you. I know what it is that tempts you, but do not give in to it..."_ Eventually, he decided to take a walk outside in the night to clear his head. He walked over to a tall tree and sat down against it, holding his throbbing head in his palms.

He heard the sound of footsteps behind him. Instinctively, he grasped the hilt of his sword with his superior reflexes, turning only to find himself face to face with his…ah…supposed king.

"You should rest, Boromir. Have no fear, these borders are well protected."Boromir relaxed the grip on his sword and allowed Aragorn to sit beside him. He had mistrusted the tall Man at first and envied his position of Heir to Gondor, but after travelling with him for a month and watching him make wise decisions, he now trusted the tall Ranger as a brother, second only to Faramir.

He sighed. "I cannot rest."

Aragorn looked at him, a concerned look in his eyes. Boromir explained. "For nights on end, I have been having nightmares. The Lady knew of this. I have heard her voice in my head. She spoke of the fear I have, of the fall of Gondor and of my Father. She told me that there was hope even now, but I cannot see it!" Images of the burning city filled his mind and allowed tears to form in his eyes. He gave Aragorn a look of despair. "It is long since we had any hope."

Aragorn said nothing; he just knelt beside him, listening.

Boromir took a deep breath. "My father is a noble man, but he is old. His rule is failing, and our people…our people lose faith. He now looks to me to make things right, and I would do it. I would do anything to see the glory of Gondor restored." He turned to Aragorn. "Have you ever seen it? The White Tower of Ecthelion, glimmering like a spire of pearl and silver, its banners caught high in the morning breeze? Have you ever been called home by the clear ringing of silver trumpets?" Boromir's voice grew wistful as he remembered his home. How he wished he could return. How he wished that this accursed ring had never been forged. How he wished the Enemy had stayed dead.

"I have seen the white city…long ago…" His voice was so quiet that Boromir barely caught it, yet he could feel the love that the man held for the City. He took heart and gripped Aragorn's hand.

"One day, our paths will lead us there, and the tower guards shall take up the call, 'the Lords of Gondor have returned'". He said it fiercely, hope shining in his eyes.

Aragorn smiled back at Boromir. "Yes, we will." He said it with quiet assurance.

They sat together for a while in quiet companionship, each absorbed in their own thoughts. Slowly, though, Boromir's eyelids became heavy.

Boromir rose slowly. "Thank you, Aragorn. Now, I must rest."

Aragorn smiled back at him. "Sweet dreams."

_Sweet dreams? Aragorn has been spending too much time around the demigods. Still, it's appropriate. _Boromir walked back to his room and lay on his bed. Soon, he fell asleep. This time, he had a beautiful dream of being back in his beloved city with his friends. _The Lady spoke the truth… _mused Boromir. _There is still hope… may my vision become fulfilled._

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Percy

Percy was beating himself up. _How could I have been so stupid? It's not like this is the first time… the same thing happened in the Sea of Monsters. I should have stopped her! I am such a Seaweed Brain. _Percy carried Annabeth gently to her rooms. Her sobs had subsided, but she was still shaking and gasping softly. Tenderly, he laid her down on her bed and pulled her blankets over her. He stood there quietly watching her, feeling so guilty and helpless. Thalia and Nico stood beside him silently, casting concerned looks at Annabeth.

He watched as Annabeth moaned softly in her sleep. Thalia and Nico, by unspoken consent, walked out of the room, giving him some alone. Percy knelt beside her bed and took her hand in his. Annabeth stirred.

"Percy?" She asked quietly, hesitantly.

"I'm here, Annabeth. It's okay." He tried to soothe her with his presence.

"Why aren't you in your room?"

"Do you really have to ask?"

Annabeth smiled weakly. "Thanks, Seaweed Brain."

Inwardly, he winced at the name, but he didn't show it. "Thanks for what? I didn't stop you from looking into the mirror. I couldn't protect you." He said bitterly.

Annabeth managed a weak glare. "Don't beat yourself up about it, Percy. You know me; I'm pretty stubborn when I want to. It wasn't your fault. And I wanted to thank you for staying by me."

_That doesn't make me feel any better. _Percy looked into her grey eyes. "Do you want to tell me what you saw? Maybe that could help."

Annabeth hesitated for a moment, she seemed on the verge of refusing, but then she changed her mind and nodded slowly. "You'd better call Thals and Nick too. There's no need to tell it twice."

Percy nodded, relieved, and walked outside in search of his cousins. He found them sparring with some skeletal warriors in a decent sized clearing. Thalia fired arrow after arrow into the warriors, while Nico hacked at them with amazing skill.

Percy was impressed. The kid had certainly improved since the Battle of Manhattan. They were both obviously taking out the day's frustration on the skeletons. Percy almost felt sorry for them( the skeletons). He watched for a few minutes, and then called them both into Annabeth's room.

They sat in a circle beside her bed expectantly. Annabeth sat up on her bed, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She began to speak.

"At first, the mirror was blank. Then, images started appearing. I saw Camp. I saw Chiron talking to the campers by the campfire about our disappearance. He told of the efforts made to trace us. Apparently, Grover has been sending satyrs and nature spirits searching for us. Tyson's also out searching with Mrs. O'Leary. The Hunters of Artemis have been dispatched. Artemis and Apollo were even taking time from their daily duties to search for us. I saw worry in everyone's eyes. The campfire burned low and dim. The whole camp was subdued and unhappy."

A pang struck Percy's heart. He wished with all his heart that he was home. Similar looks appeared on Thalia and Nico's faces. They were all homesick. He was touched that so many people cared for them and were looking for them.

"Then, I saw Olympus. I saw the council arguing again. Poseidon, Hades, Artemis and my mom were yelling at Zeus for sending us away. The council was split. On Athena's side were Poseidon, Hades, Artemis, Apollo, Aphrodite, Hermes and Hephaestus. On Zeus' side were Hera, Dionysus and Ares. Demeter and Hestia remained neutral. Zeus was being an ass as usual and he was complaining how many gods were against him. He then asked each of them their reasons for siding against him. Our parents were obviously very upset at Zeus, Hermes and Hephaestus were on their side because Percy had done them many favors in the past. Apollo liked Percy and he cared for his sister, while Aphrodite was just upset that her favorite couple was gone."

_Figures._ Percy rolled his eyes. Thalia facepalmed and Nico snickered. Annabeth managed a faint smile.

"Anyway, the argument was getting more and more heated. Zeus finally struck his bolt on the floor, shutting everybody up, and said that they were better off with us gone, the ass. He said we were a bit too dangerous and maybe it was for the best. My mother snapped. She stood up and yelled at Zeus for a full ten minutes, cursing his stupidity and his pride, and declaring that she would do anything to get us back. Then, she stormed out of the throne room. Poseidon and Hades glared at Zeus and walked out too, as did Hermes, Apollo and Artemis. Hestia tried to call them back, but they were all so angry that no one listened. Later, natural disasters happened all over the world-Hurricanes, Earthquakes, forest fires caused by lightning, tsunamis, landslides, and solar storms. Nature was at war with herself. My mother spent her time trying to find us or planning ways to seriously piss Zeus off. It was chaos. There might be very well a civil war looming because of us."

Percy was horrified. That must have been when she had cried. "Mother, NO!"He had never thought of his Father's reaction to his disappearance. Things were worse than they had thought. He then noticed the ground rumbling and the smell of ozone in the air. Apparently his friends felt the same way. _Another civil war? Only five years since I last prevented one, and now there's going to be another one? Can't they just leave us alone and allow us to live the rest seventy years of my life in peace? If I get back, I'm going to knock them all upside the head._ he grumbled to himself. _**When **__I get back_..he hastily corrected himself.

"Then, the scene changed. I saw Gandalf, falling down the chasm of Moria. He survived the fall, but was captured by dozens of orcs and taken to an old man in white. He was then dragged out of the mines and taken to a tall, black tower with four spires at the top. He was chained and thrown into a dank dungeon. The white wizard tortured him every day, laughing at him, taunting him. My heart broke as I watched him suffer. The wizard wanted him to tell him about us. About the children who controlled the elements. Gandalf wouldn't say anything. He suffered. Then, the mirror shut off and became blank again. All saw was my face."

Percy sat back, thinking about the recent revelations. Gandalf was alive? They had to rescue him! Hope flared in his heart. Maybe things weren't so hopeless after all. Captured by another wizard and tortured for information about them… not so good. That fact made him even more determined to save Gandalf. He saw similar expressions of hope bloom on his cousin's faces. Their leader was alive. Then, he remembered something. Annabeth had screamed near the end. She had been so shocked and distraught about it that she had broken down. She had seen something that made her cry with fear. What she had described was disturbing, but it wouldn't have made her break down and cry. _She's hiding something_

Thalia had evidently realized it too. "Is there anything else, Annabeth?" she asked gently, putting a hand on Annabeth's forearm.

Annabeth shook her head violently. "No! There's nothing else. No." she buried her face in her hands. "No."

Nico frowned slightly. "The lady doth protest too much, methinks." He quoted. Percy rolled his eyes at him. Evidently he had been spending some time with the dead poets again, Shakespeare most likely.

Annabeth squeezed her eyes shut. "Please, guys. Don't press me about this. I'll tell you when I'm ready."

Percy nodded reluctantly. "Alright, Annabeth, I trust you." He really did. If there was something important to be said, he trusted Annabeth to tell him in her own time.

Annabeth winced like he had hit her, which hurt Percy, but he didn't let it show. Annabeth nodded sadly. "Thanks, Percy."

Percy stood reluctantly to leave the room, but stopped as Annabeth caught his hand. He turned to look at her curiously, hopefully.

"Please… stay with me." Annabeth stuttered.

"Always." Percy whispered at her. There was no hesitation at all.

"Thank you." She smiled gratefully.

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Samwise

Sam got up early the next morning, full of excitement and anticipation, eager to explore this beautiful garden paradise the elves had wrought. He got up from his bed and padded over to the door of the room, careful to avoid stepping on the sleeping forms of Merry, Pippin and Mr. Frodo. Frodo had come in very late last night with a pale face, but had refused to give any explanation of his whereabouts, only saying that the Lady had wanted to talk to him. _I wonder what the Lady had said or done to make him go so pale. Pale… That's not a healthy color for hobbits to be__._ He had wanted to inquire further, but one look at his master's face told him to wait.

When he finally reached the door, he nearly had a heart attack. Last night, when the elves had led them to their rooms, the climb up the trees hadn't seemed so far. Now, precariously balanced on the walkways high up in the trees, he felt his heart leap up to his mouth and beat faster. Hobbits didn't like heights. They felt safest and most comfortable on the earth, or maybe under it would be better. His head swam as he glanced down and the dizzying drop.

"Ah, Good morning, Sam, Would you care to join me?" A familiar voice startled Sam out of his look-fearfully-at-the-forest-floor-a-long-way-belo w session. Looking up, he saw Strider…Aragorn on the tallest balcony above him, gazing at the huge, dark forest below him.

"Good morning…Aragorn." He stuttered, trying to conceal his fear of heights from the Man, then "What are you doing up there on that ridiculously high platform?"

Aragorn chuckled. "Here, is the best vantage point in all Lothlorien to watch the sun rise over Middle Earth. It is a glorious and beautiful sight, and not one to be missed." He reached a hand out towards Sam, who held an internal debate where common sense and interest battled fiercely.

Interest finally won, and Sam hesitantly grasped Aragorn's hand. The strong Man pulled him up with ease and together they sat, resting in the cool night just before the dawn. They sat in silence, waiting.

A faint golden light appeared in the horizon, which slowly became brighter and larger, until the Woods of Lothlorien was bathed in a beautiful golden light. Sam saw many hundreds of elves, also standing on various walkways and balconies enjoying the sun rise, announcing a new day. It was a glorious sight. Then, the sound of birdsong filled the air, as the birds of the forest greeted the new day. It was perfect. Sam tried to take in every detail of this beautiful moment, committing it to memory. This was a sight he never wanted to forget.

Aragorn sighed wistfully. "This sight never ceases to amaze me afresh, and I have seen it for many years."

Sam nodded slowly, in awe. "It's an eye-opener, and no mistake."

Soon, the sun had risen, a new day begun. Aragorn got up and extended his hand to the hobbit. "Would you need any help descending?"

Sam grinned at Aragorn. "Thank you, Master Aragorn, but I would prefer to master my own fear. You won't always be here to help."

Aragorn smiled approvingly. "Very wise decision you made. I'll see you at the breakfast table, then." He descended the spiraling flight of stairs and disappeared into the forest. Sam was impressed at the Man's ability to walk as quietly as a hobbit. Not all men could walk that quietly. Sam suppressed a huge yawn and decided to go and wake his friends.

Sam smirked as he threw open the door to the room he shared with the other hobbits, letting the bright sunlight stream in. "Rise and shine! It's a new day!" he exclaimed cheerily.

He was greeted by the sight of a few pillows flying towards his face and loud grumbling. He hurriedly closed the door, and then opened it again after a few seconds. He then proceeded to pull the blankets off his comrades and smack them with their own pillows. This had the desired effect and soon one cheerful hobbit walked out of the room whistling, followed by a tired but amused hobbit who was chuckling softly , and two grumbling, cursing hobbits who were devising some very creative paybacks for a certain Samwise Gamgee. _I wonder if I should be worried… _

When he peeked into Boromir's room warily, the Man was already awake and practicing his swordplay. There was a glint in his eyes that suggested he was fighting some unseen enemy. There was intensity in his movements that both awed and frightened him. Sam closed the door hurriedly and walked to the next room—Thalia's room. It was empty, as was Nico's room. They had evidently woken up even earlier than Sam and had barely gotten any sleep, judging from the very small depression on the bed and pillows. Legolas had already awoken and was conversing with the forest elves in their high voices, while Gimli slept like…a rock. Sam gave up and went to the final room.

He got a minor surprise as he entered Annabeth's room. Annabeth was still fast asleep with a peaceful smile on her face. The surprising thing? her hand was still gripping Percy's hand. Percy was also fast asleep on a chair beside the bed, also holding on tightly to Annabeth's hand. He had evidently fallen asleep while sitting. They both looked so sweet together, smiling peacefully. It must have been the first time they could rest since their harrowing escape from Moria. He decided to leave them be and continue on to breakfast.

They had breakfast in a huge open hall. Four tall, thick trees served as pillars in the four corners of the hall, and a green canopy of vines and leaves woven over the trees served as a roof, and there were no walls, which added to the natural feel of the hall. But few people paid much attention to that, as all eyes (and noses) were attracted to an enormous table laden with food in the centre, Breakfast was delicious, with lots of fresh-baked bread and plates of freshly picked fruits. Sam resolved to pay a visit to the gardeners here and ask for their gardening secrets. If he could grow apples and pears like these, he would be the envy of the entire Shire. There were a few minor complaints from Nico, Merry and Pippin about the vegetarian fare but nobody paid them any mind. Lady Galadriel had also decided to have breakfast with them, much to Sam's shock. To his (and the demigods and hobbits) relief, she did not require them to make polite conversation with her and spent most of the time talking to Aragorn, who was beside her in elvish. She also did give most of them unsettling gazes, but that was about it. All in all, it was a rather enjoyable affair.

After an enormous breakfast, Sam first destination… was the garden. The elves there were slightly cold at first, but they soon warmed to a fellow gardener, and Sam was soon, to his immense delight, learning all sorts of gardening methods he never would have picked up in the Shire. He grinned happily as one of the elves taught him patiently how to cross breed plants to make them bigger and better. This could be one of the best days of his life.

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Gimli

Gimli was very much prepared to be miserable. He had never really liked elves much. "Those nasty, tall, pointy eared elves; Always acting so cold and superior…"he muttered to himself. His father's stories about being imprisoned in Mirkwood only served to increase his distrust of them, and even though he knew that elves, dwarves and men had allied together in the Battle of the Five Armies, he still didn't like elves much. And now not only did he have to travel and work with one, but now he was in a big forest _FULL _of them. And from the way Haldir had acted, he was fully prepared to be miserable for the span of his stay in this cursed forest. _Durin's Beard! I hate this._

"Friend Gimli!" a high voice called from outside his room. Legolas… Legolas seemed to be an exception among the elves, though. Though the elf had been cold and dismissing of him at first, and they had many bitter quarrels, he couldn't deny that the elf had proved different from what he had expected. They were almost friends now and they had both saved each other's lives in battle. That tended to form a strong bond. Gimli frowned. Could he really become friends with an elf? Could he really put aside his people's age-old prejudice?

"Gimli!" Gimli was startled out of his musings. Legolas had entered his room and was watching him bemusedly. "You have been staring into space and muttering for almost five minutes." He commented, grinning widely. _That's strange. Only yesterday he was crying and mourning Gandalf's death. Why the sudden change in demeanor?_

Gimli frowned at him. "Why are you so cheerful today? I would have thought you would be still distraught over Gandalf's death."

Legolas grin stretched even wider, if it was possible. "Mithrandir is alive!" he fairly whooped with joy. "Annabeth and Frodo both shared about a vision they had in the Lady's glass. Mithrandir is alive!" the elf danced a ridiculous (in Gimli's eyes) jig around the room.

_Gandalf? Alive?_"Impossible." He growled. "I myself saw him fall into the bottomless chasm of Khazad-Dum, dragged by that foul beast, Durin's Bane, the Balrog. How can he be alive?"

Legolas seemed to wilt momentarily. "According to both Annabeth and Frodo, Gandalf was 'saved' by the White Wizard, Saruman. He is now in chains at Isengard."

"Well, I am glad he is alive." said Gimli gruffly. He never was one to show much emotion, but inwardly he was rejoicing that his old friend wasn't dead. This was amazing news, but his joy was tempered by the knowledge that Gandalf was captured in one of the most secure dungeons in Middle Earth.

Legolas grinned happily at Gimli. "I feel like exploring this magnificent forest today with a friend. Will you come?"

Gimli gaped at him. Did the _elf _just call him a friend, and ask him to explore this cursed forest with him, no less? Gimli's head spun. Should he accept? _Could_ he accept? On one hand, Legolas' offer seemed sincere; on the other hand, he had been brought up to distrust elves. He glanced suspiciously at Legolas. "And why would I want to walk through a huge, dull, uninteresting forest with hundreds of dwarf-hating elves with you?"

Legolas grinned ._what was it with the endless grinning? Was Legolas 'high' or something?_ (Gimli had no idea what 'high' meant, but he had heard the demigods using it to describe people acting strangely). "Tell you what," Legolas smirked. "I'll make a deal with you. If you explore the forests of Lothlorien, Fangorn and Mirkwood with me, I will walk through the dull, rocky mines you dwarves seem to love with you."

Gimli was once again, dumbstruck for the third time in only ten minutes. Slowly, a smile spread onto his face, and he nodded to Legolas, extending his hand. "Deal, Friend Legolas."

They shook hands, elf and dwarf. The gap bridged for the first time in millennia. A truly historic moment.

(**Too bad no one was there to see it. XD)**

Later, to his surprise, Gimli found that he had actually enjoyed the time with Legolas. He had actually learned many new things about elves and forests(though he insisted the latter part was utterly useless). The elves of Lorien had been shocked at first, but seeing him in the company of an elf without glaring at them of threatening to hack at them, they had slowly warmed to him and had accepted him as a friend, some even smiling and shaking his hand. Gimli lay back down onto his bed, his head spinning. He stared at his hand, which had shook more than ten elf hands today, and remembered his earlier question. _Could he really become friends with an elf? Could he really put aside his people's age-old prejudice?_ Gimli thought back to his walk in the forest. _Yes. Maybe I can…maybe I can…_

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**Again, not much action, but I wanted to develop further on the character bonding. Hopefully the character interaction was realistic. Please tell me what you think. This is the end of the chapter. The next chapter will be probably out next week. **_**Probab**_**ly. I have a busy schedule. **

**Anyway, I really hope you guys will review. It both encourages me and helps me improve. I need to know outside opinions. Here's a special challenge…**

**Also, if your review is a multiple of five. (105, 125, 130, 135…) you can ask a question which I will do my best to answer. Of course, it means that all guests have to put their pen names so that I can address them. **

**So, my question of the chapter…**

_**What was the other part Annabeth was hiding?**_

**This is my own challenge to you readers out there. Put your answers in reviews. The reviewer who gets it correct or which has the closest guess will receive a special reward!(which I wont reveal now…hee hee)**

**Bye guys!**

**PJcrazy signing out**

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**SURPRISE!**

**BONUS!**

**AND BECAUSE ALL OF YOU ARE SUCH AWESOME READERS, AND BECAUSE OF ALL YOUR LOVELY REVIEWS, CONSIDER THIS A REWARD! I wasn't planning to put this in this chapter initially, but I felt you guys deserved it. All I ask in return are just reviews. ;) **

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Gandalf

Isengard dungeon

Gandalf lay back on the cold, damp, stone floor. He was in a cold, dark, dirty dungeon. He felt terrible. His whole body shivered with cold and damp, and whenever he moved, agony shot up his back and legs. The orcs had whipped him, leaving angry red stripes on every single part of the body. His grey robe was dirty and tattered; his long, grey beard was matted and clumped with dirt. And although he does not want to admit it, he felt powerless. His staff and sword had been taken by Saruman on the first day. He was helpless. There had been no need to chain him. He was too weak to even attempt an escape.

After he had been captured in Moria, Saruman had come to collect him. The White Wizard had been practically glowing with triumph and evil glee. He was roughly chained carried to Isengard on horseback. It had been a long and tiring journey, especially as drained and tired as he was, but Saruman had ignored his groans of pain, and he was even smiling. What had gone wrong with the former Istar? What had happened to change Saruman?

He had been taken to the tower Orthanc and taken to an underground dungeon. _"__No dramatic escapes by eagles now, eh Gandalf?"_ Saruman had smirked. Gandalf had been struck with horror at how dramatically Isengard had changed. Once a grand, tall tower with wide, verdant grounds surrounded by high walls, which were in turn surrounded by tall, majestic trees, it had all changed. The grounds had been hollowed out to make forges and more orcs. Fires burned continually, as orcs forged more and more weapons and armor. The great trees around Isengard had all been chopped for firewood to sustain the roaring fires in the forge. Isengard had become a forbidding, barren place. It struck Gandalf how closely this place now resembled Barad-Dur, the black fortress of Mordor. Saruman must have remodeled his tower to match the Dark Lord's.

Gandalf suffered in the dungeon. Without his staff, his power had been greatly reduced. The situation was dire enough already, but things got worse. The next day, Saruman had entered his cell with a huge Uruk-hai wielding a whip, which brought back unpleasant memories to him. Memories of fire and falling into shadow. Saruman had interrogated him harshly about his friends, the demigods. When he refused to talk, he had been tortured painfully. The treatment had gone on day after day, progressively intensifying. It had been a week now. Seven days of relentless flogging. Now, whenever he moved, the scars on his back would crack, and blood would run. It was agony. He had used what power he had left to try and soothe his wounds, but now he was spent.

The sound of footsteps roused him from his thoughts. He craned his neck painfully to look at the doorway. A familiar white figure stood at the doorway, looking at him contemptuously. "Well, how are we today?"

Gandalf shut his eyes wearily, ignoring the wizard in front of him. _Here we go again…_

Saruman gritted his teeth when he received no reply. "Look at me, Gandalf."

Gandalf gave no sign of having heard. He would not give him the satisfaction. He would NOT.

Fire flashed in Saruman's eyes. He jabbed his white staff towards Gandalf viciously. "I said, LOOK AT ME!" Gandalf stiffened as a wave of energy slammed into him, throwing him back against the wall. He felt nothing, he was beyond pain now. But streams of blood flowed from his newly reopened wounds. It was agony.

Saruman decided to utilize a different tack. "Look, Gandalf. I offered you an opportunity of a lifetime previously. An offer so great, by one so powerful…" he sneered at Gandalf."…one would have to be a fool to refuse it."

Gandalf snorted.

Saruman sighed theatrically. "But even now, Gandalf, my old friend…"

Gandalf snorted again.

Saruman's façade of kindness broke momentarily and he glared at him, then he composed himself and continued a bit tetchily. "I would offer it to you again. Think about it. You would be doubly foolish to reject it this time."

Gandalf spoke for the first time today. His voice was frail, and it broke at moments, but there was a strong undercurrent of resolve and determination. "And if I accept your _generous _offer? What would happen to me?"

Saruman smiled seraphically. "Why, you would become my partner! We would accomplish marvelous things together! And if it happens that blind fool Sauron becomes too overbearing, we kill him together!" he said it like it was the most obvious thing in Middle Earth.

Gandalf coughed hard. Flecks of blood flew from his mouth. he craned his head to glare at the smiling wizard."And if I refuse?".

Saruman's expression turned stony. "That would not be wise, Gandalf the Grey. I, the greatest wizard in Middle Earth, have chosen you to become my partner. Not that fool Radagast (**the brown wizard. See "the hobbit")** or the bumbling idiots Alatar or Pallando** (the other two blue wizards. Mentioned in Tolkien's "unfinished tales")**. I chose you! You should be honored!"

Gandalf had no energy left even to retort. "I will never join you, Curunir (**Saruman's true name, the name of a Maia, it's a Sindarin word that roughly translates to "Man of Skill**). Not even if you kill me." He said wearily.

Saruman flinched at Gandalf's use of his true name. He glared murderously at the pitiful grey figure hunched in the cell. "That name is not to be used by you, _Olorin__(__**rough translation. Dreamer or Prophet. One who sees the future**__)" _he spat at Gandalf. He glared further, and then his entire demeanor changed. He smiled evilly. "As for killing you…," his eyes became narrowed slits of flint. "I just might." He pulled out a gnarled, twisted brown staff from behind him.

Gandalf gasped. It was his staff! But why would Saruman bring it_… no… NO!_ The horrible realization of what he was about to do struck him. this could not be happening. he raised a feeble hand to Saruman. "No... don't!" he croaked.

Saruman's grin was positively evil. "They say an Istar's source of power is in his staff. They say that an Istar is a broken man if his staff is ever destroyed. I have always wondered if it was true_. _Let's test it, shall we?" he raised his knee and slammed the staff onto it as hard as he could. There was a blinding flash of light, and Gandalf screamed and writhed on the ground, oblivious to the fact that his scabs were tearing.

The light faded. Gandalf collapsed onto the ground, senseless. Saruman glanced at the two halves of the staff in his hands contemptuously, then sneered and threw the two halves onto the ground. The sticks rattled as they hit the floor. Saruman strode away, satisfied. _Now,_ he thought, _Gandalf is a broken man. It will not be soon until he tells me his secrets one by one._

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_**DUN DUN DUN…**_

_**Please review and tell me what you think! I pray that I will get as many reviews as the last chapter. It's not that hard. Just tell me what you think. It's the only way I know how to improve. And you can include suggestions on what you want, or questions. Remember, every fifth question gets answered.**_

_**For the guests, at least type in a name so I can address your question in the next chapter.**_

_**Another big THANK YOU to my awesome Beta 1429012827 who has helped check my grammar and correct some mistakes. You are simply awesome.**_

_**To all readers…Thank you!**_

_**PJcrazy signing out**_

_**PEACE OUT**_


	14. authors note

Hey everyone, this is PJcrazy.

i know you have all been patiently waiting for the next chapter, and I'm very sorry to have kept you waiting for so long. I have had the most massive case of writer's block i have ever experienced, so i have been busy helping my friend with _her _story, taking a break from mine. the problem? the writer's block is still there. I have also been slightly discouraged by the small amount of reviews i got for the last chapter. i had thought it was good enough, but maybe you dont think so. maybe my writing has degenerated. i don't know. writing is a two way process here. i write, and some readers respond. you dont know how much joy it gives me to read the reviews the readers have left me, so obviously i was left a bit discouraged. Now I'm not blaming you, I'm just stating my feelings. so anyway, here's a couple of questions.

1. what was wrong with the previous chapter?

2. As i said, i have a case of writer's block. i dont know where to pick up from the last chapter. should I

a. Have them stay in Lothlorien for one more chapter for character development and interaction with elves?

b. Take them to the banks of Amon Hen where Frodo splits up with the fellowship?

c. Put an interlude of events happening in Earth or Middle Earth?

I'll leave this to a vote for you loyal readers. again, I want to thank _all _of you for reading my story, and i really hope you review.

Ps. i mentioned that I was working on a story with my good friend _alone on the water_. It's a Percy Jackson/Hunger games crossover with a sprinkle of Lord of the Rings. We have agreed to beta each other's stories and help with writer's blocks. so anyway, Her newest story, _a pawn of the gods,_ is not doing too well. If you like Hunger Games and Percy Jackson together, go and check it out and review it, ok?

again, here are some other crossover stories you might enjoy.

Over the Sea by Thalia's Royal King. Inheritance Cycle and Percy Jackson. (This story was the one that inspired me to bring in the four central demigods. most stories go with Percy, Jason and Nico)

The demigod, the hobbit and the ring by syrlai

olympian bending by tzapporah. Percy jackson/avatar

thank you.

Peace out


	15. A Change of Scenery

**Well, I'm back! Thank you all for your **_**very **_**kind and encouraging reviews! I have honestly not expected to receive so many. I would especially like to thank reviewers like Lady Vanya, Padme Eponine, Yua-Hime, Aura Rogers, and many other reviewers who encouraged me to keep going and giving me some very helpful pieces of advice. I would also like to thank alone on the water, my beta for giving me a couple of suggestions and generally being a good friend to bounce ideas off. **

**So anyway, I hope that this chapter is up to your expectations, and I'm sorry it took so long. This chapter will sort of zoom out from the fellowship and give a wider view of events happening in earth and Middle earth. So, yeah, thank you all for reading, subscribing and favoriting. It gives me a happy buzz every time I check my email and seeing a new review, favorite or alert. You guys are really, really great readers.**

**Enjoy.**

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_Away…away… they were running away. Without her. She tried to force herself to run, to catch up with them, but her legs seemed glued to the ground. She could only watch. __**He**__ was leaving. Her friends were leaving. Her companions were leaving. Why? Why were they leaving her here? Had it been her decision? She felt tears streaking down her face._

"_NO! Don't leave me!" she tried to scream, but no sound came from her throat. Her dream self stood resolutely on the wooden boards, watching as her friends picked up speed, running as fast as they could. She strained her eyes, trying to catch a last glance of her friends. She saw __**him**__,__her beloved, lagging behind. He seemed to have trouble seeing where he was going, and Aragorn had to support him. She was sure there were tears falling from his dear face. __**He **__cast a longing, searching look back towards her direction. He was evidently looking for her. She tried to wave, to call out, but she was not in control of her actions. She seemed to be invisible. Tears clouded her vision. _

"_Don't leave me!" she tried to wail. Curse this! Why couldn't she make any sound? "Come back! Don't leave me here!"The company was getting smaller and smaller in the distance. Soon, they were a mere speck on the horizon. Again, she tried to strain her eyes, to see __**him**__ again. No more. They were gone. She had been left behind. Alone. Alone!_

"_NO…PERCY! PERCY!"_

_A flash, then everything changed. She gasped. _Not again…_ she thought, horrified. _Not again!_ A familiar scene. Darkness. Bones. An oppressive darkness, but it wasn't Moria. Moria had been tame compared to the aura of evil and rot here. Something moved in the darkness. The shadows shifted. Horror gripped her. Icy terror surged through her veins, paralyzing her. Her legs turned to jelly. Her throat was stuck. She couldn't scream. She made a last ditch effort._

_She screamed in pure terror and desperation._

"PERCY!"

She was wrapped in something. Something thick and heavy which restricted her movements greatly. She flailed, trying to escape. Somebody yelled in surprise. Strong hands gripped her. Terror washed over her afresh. She struggled against the hands, lashing out with hands and fists. She was in danger! She needed to escape! Gasps turned into sobs. Her chest heaved from sobs and gasps. She was totally hyperventilating. The arms were still around her. Something was screaming in her ear.

"Annabeth! Annabeth! It's alright. I'm here. It's okay. Relax!" the voice. It sounded so familiar, so reassuring. She realized she was still lashing out. She had an urge to fight, to scratch, to slap, but the hands held her arms firmly. Her throat was sore. She must have been screaming a lot. Her muscles were very tense. Slowly, she tried to loosen them. The hands around her arms relaxed slightly.

"Percy?" she gasped out. Where was he? She needed him. Where was she?

"I'm here Annabeth. I'm here. Don't worry. Calm down." The voice commanded. Her terror started fading at that voice. Slowly, she opened her eyes. Two green, concerned eyes stared back at her. Her sobs subsided. She sat up slowly and took a look around her. She was in her bedroom at Lothlorien. The thing that had been entangling her had been her blankets. Her blankets were now torn and tattered from her exhaustions. Percy was sitting beside her, holding her hand, calming her with his presence.

He squeezed her hand softly. "Do you want to talk about it, Annabeth?" he asked hesitantly.

Annabeth bit her lip. It had been the same nightmare again. The fifth night in a row. Ever since she had looked into that mirror, the nightmare had plagued her over and over again. Alone. Abandoned. Terrified. She turned to meet Percy's concerned eyes, and saw some scratches on his face and arms. She gasped. "Did I do that?"

Percy refused to meet her eyes.

"Gods, Percy, I'm sorry!" she cried. She ran to her backpack, which was hanging beside the bed and took out her bottle of nectar. Percy tried to protest, but she would not be turned. Slowly, tenderly, she spread nectar over the scratches, watching as they faded into the skin.

Percy grabbed her arm softly. "Annabeth. What's bothering you? Is it so bad that you can't tell me?"

_Alone, abandoned…_Annabeth snatched her hand away instinctively. The pained look on Percy's face nearly killed her. She quickly took hold of his hand again, fighting down the memory. She took a deep breath. _Should I tell him? I don't think I can…_

Percy must have seen the internal struggle reflected in her eyes, for he dropped the subject quickly enough. "Is there anything I could do to help you, Annabeth?"

Annabeth sighed, then glanced back at Percy hesitantly. "Could you stay with me again? Just like our first night here. Please?"

A sad smile crossed his face. "Do you really have to ask?"

Annabeth smiled softly. "Thank you."

She fell asleep again even before her head hit the pillow. A warm darkness enveloped her consciousness, and she had another dream.

"_Annabeth. Annabeth…" A woman was calling her name. A woman dressed all in white. A very familiar woman. _

_Annabeth gasped. "Athena? Mother?" she could hardly believe it_

"_Annabeth! My dear daughter! You are safe!" Athena ran towards Annabeth and embraced her. Annabeth was too shocked to react. Her mother had never been so familiar with her before._

"_M..Mom. How... how did you find us? Where are you?" Annabeth asked wonderingly, looking up at the goddess. She was utterly shocked to see traces of tears in her mother's eyes. Did her mother really care for her that much? She had never given any sign of having any affection for her._

_Athena smiled." Thanks to the combined efforts of Morpheus and Hypnos, they have been able to break through the barrier between the worlds and given Poseidon, Artemis, Hades and I an hour to be with our children. Oh, my daughter. I am so sorry that you had to go through this.". Her face grew determined. "I will do whatever I can; I will do all that is in my power to bring you back to us. When you vanished along with your friends, I felt crushed. There were so many things I wished I could have said, so many things I wished I could have done. I…I am proud of you, my daughter." Her voice dropped into a whisper. _

_Annabeth was speechless. Wordlessly, she embraced her mother for the first time. Athena's eyes widened with surprise, then softened as she held her daughter in her arms. "Keep up hope Annabeth. Do not let despair come over you. I love you, my child."_

_The dream was fading. Her mother was beginning to feel less solid in her arms. "Mother! Don't leave me!" cried Annabeth. Her mother cared for her. Her mother loved her. She didn't want to let go of this hope._

_Athena looked distressed as she faded away. "Annabeth! Stay strong! Do what you have to do, and do not lose hope! Stay alive!" Athena faded away completely. Annabeth barely caught her last words, barely a whisper. "for me…"_

_Suddenly, Annabeth realized she wasn't alone. She saw Hades talking quietly in his usual, serious tones with Nico, Artemis hugging Thalia and straightening the silver circlet on her forehead, Percy laughing with Poseidon as they played with their water powers. As she watched, the gods slowly faded away, leaving the four demigods alone. Slowly, Thalia and Nico faded too. Percy walked over to her._

"_Well…I'd say that was a pleasant change from the usual demigod dreams." He said softly, a faraway look in his eyes._

"_Definitely." Agreed Annabeth, trying to remember the feeling of being hugged by her mother for the first time. A smile appeared on her face. "I'm going to take my mother's advice. I've moped too long. I should have realized there is always hope."_

_Percy grinned at her and raised a hand to his forehead in a salute before fading away. Annabeth smiled softly. She felt herself slowly leaving the realm of dreams. Darkness._

=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o

_Brightness. Brightness in her eyes. It was too bright to ignore. _Annabeth groaned and threw her hand over her face. She felt Percy's hand twitch in her hand. She opened her eyes. It was morning. A smile crossed her face. Now that she had a good night's sleep, and with such a wonderful dream, she felt ready to do anything.

She sat up in bed and lightly squeezed Percy's arm. A tiny pang of guilt struck her. How could she have been so selfish to do this? It had probably been a very uncomfortable night. She stroked his cheek tenderly, waking him up. He cracked his trademark grin to see her awake and so cheerful. "Mornin' Wise Girl. That was a wonderful dream last night, eh?"

She smiled back at him. "Good MorNING, Seaweed Brain." She greeted, putting extra stress on the NING. Being the daughter of the Wisdom Goddess, omissions and abbreviations sometimes annoyed her a lot.

Percy just grinned at her. She scowled playfully. "Why are you so cheerful all of a sudden?"

"Hmm... let's see. I don't know! Maybe it could be the fact that my beautiful, terminally depressed girlfriend has finally turned normal again?"

She shrieked and threw her pillow at him. "I was not terminally depressed!"

Percy laughed and ducked as she continued throwing pillows at him. "Did I mention beautiful?"

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Seaweed Brain!"

There was a noise at the door. Annabeth froze and turned towards it to see Boromir leaning against the doorframe, chuckling. "Lover's quarrel, I assume?" he teased. "It's time to get down to breakfast." He wolf whistled at their rumpled clothes. "Hmm…Percy didn't go back to his rooms last night. Did you two…" he let the sentence trail off, grinning.

Annabeth shrieked with indignation and threw her pillow at Boromir, who snatched it out of the air. "Well this is certainly a change from the forlorn girl I saw the last few days. What happened last night?" his face was red with barely restrained laughter.

Still blushing furiously, Percy and Annabeth went followed Boromir to the breakfast table, though the occasional giggle still escaped Annabeth. Her well of depression seemed to have dried up and been replaced with happiness instead. After days of depression, the world suddenly seemed so much brighter, the colors more vibrant than she had noticed. A shadow of last night's dream flitted across her mind, but she banished it quickly. _Nothing would ruin this perfect day for me._

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Athena

Athena sighed as she slowly felt herself being pulled out of her daughter's dream. Annabeth had been so shocked when she had embraced her, like it had been the last thing she had expected. _I will really have to pay more attention to my children. Even Poseidon often tries to go out of his way to show his care for his son. _

She emerged on the tiled floors of the throne room of Olympus, along with her sister Artemis and her uncles Hades and Poseidon. It was still night in Olympus. Hypnos and Morpheus were standing before them, eyes closed, arms raised. Beads of sweat were on their foreheads and the strain showed on their faces. When all four of them were out, they slowly relaxed and opened their eyes.

Poseidon walked over to them and clapped their shoulders. "Thank you Hypnos, and you, Morpheus. You have given us a great gift. We are in your debt." Hades nodded his head towards them, while Artemis and Athena smiled and thanked them.

"Ah…It was nothing," Hypnos smiled serenely. "Now I'll be going back to my palace to sleep." He walked off slowly, like a sleepwalker. Morpheus nodded towards the Olympians, acknowledging their thanks and walked out of the throne room.

."Well? How was it?" a familiar voice asked from the direction of the hearth. Hestia stood by the fire in her twelve year old form in her customary brown dress. Her golden eyes were concerned, yet happy. "I was so glad when I heard that you were going to talk to your children. A child should always know that he or she is loved by their parents."

Poseidon and Hades smiled at their oldest sister and allowed her to hug them, which Athena privately thought was a huge breakthrough for Hades, who normally shunned physical contact from all but his wife Persephone. Artemis hugged Hestia too, before running towards the moon chariot, which one of her hunters had been standing in for her. Mortals would wonder for weeks why the moon had moved so erratically that night. Then, Hestia turned to her and embraced her too. "Athena, I am so glad that you have finally shown Annabeth that you cared. I know this was a breakthrough for you."

Athena smiled softly. "I regret all the years that she lived without knowing whether I cared. I have a reputation of being a somewhat cold and distant goddess, only interested in things of the mind. I feel so foolish now, Aunt Hestia. I have watched over her for years, I led her to safety in the camp, yet I never told her I cared for her." A dull ache was in her chest.

Hestia smiled warmly at her. "It is never too late to change, Athena."

Athena nodded gratefully. "Thank you for your advice, Aunt Hestia."

Hestia's eyes were shining with pride and joy. She hugged her one last time, then released her. "Thank you for listening. Now, why don't you go to the library? You are probably impatient to go and research the place where they are in."

Athena chuckled."You know me too well, Hestia. I'll see you later!" She ran towards the direction of the library of Olympus, Hestia was chuckling too as she waved her goodbye.

_It is never too late to change. There is still time to show my children that I care._

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Chiron

Chiron sighed as he surveyed the campfire. It was barely burning at all, just a few glowing embers in the hearth. Now and then a small, brief flame would flare, only to die out moments later. He turned to the subdued campers sitting by the fire. There was little conversation, if any at all among the campers. It was another gloomy night. Even the Apollo cabin, after half-heartedly trying to start the campfire sing-along, gave up after a few minutes. Chiron had never seen the camp so lifeless before. It was a testament to how much Percy had managed to win the hearts of all the demigods here.

A little to the side of the gathered campers were the hunters of Artemis. Artemis had gone to Olympus, hoping for news of her missing lieutenant, leaving Phoebe to drive the moon chariot and one of the older huntresses in charge of the group. They, too were unnaturally quiet without their trusted Lieutenant Thalia, who had led them along with Percy in the Battle of Manhattan.

Four weeks. That's how long it had been since the four brightest and most powerful demigods of their age had vanished from Central Park. Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Thalia Grace and Nico Di Angelo. There had been no warning at all. They were here one moment, and gone the next. All the gods had found was an abandoned picnic basket. The Olympians had not reacted well, of course. For weeks, natural phenomena went crazy. The sky was fighting against the sea, the moon and the sun eclipsed each other randomly. Earthquakes struck without warning, and the Internet had gone haywire for a couple of weeks.

An ache was in Chiron's chest. Even though he had experienced it over and over again, the deaths of heroes he had personally trained and cared for always hurt. Memories assaulted him again and again. The canoe lake reminded him and all the campers of Percy and Annabeth's kiss. The lone pine tree by the hill brought back memories of Thalia fighting for her friends. The sealed crack on the floor of the dining hall sharply reminded him of an angry, resentful son of Hades. The campers had all come to respect and rely on them. It was as if someone had taken the life out of the camp. Everyone was desperate to find them. The hunters scoured the country for them, Tyson worked with Mrs. O'Leary, Percy's faithful hellhound and his friend Grover, trying to find Percy using Grover's link with him. A network of naiads, dryads and nymphs were constantly on the lookout. So far, there had been no sign

He glanced around at the campers and hunters sitting moodily by the fire. The fire barely burned nowadays. It was even lower than the time when Thalia's pine had been poisoned and Tantalus was in charge. He sighed. Time to send them back to their cabins. It was no use sitting here and doing nothing.

Suddenly, a bright flash announced the arrival of a god-of _two _gods. _Curious. _There was a stir among the demigods as they realized something was happening. The light cleared to reveal Lord Apollo and Lady Artemis. Chiron immediately cantered over to the two Olympians and bowed low.

"Lord Apollo, Lady Artemis." He looked up at them. "To what do we owe this honor?" He asked curiously.

Lord Apollo grinned and flashed the gesture for "peace""Demigods of Camp Half Blood!" he announced loudly. "I, Apollo the great, God of the sun, of healing, of music etc, etc...And my little sister Artemis-"

He was interrupted, then when Artemis smacked his arm. "As my _annoying _and _big headed _brother was saying," she continued calmly.

"I am not big headed! "Interjected Apollo hotly. (**Ha ha. Pun**) as one, the campers groaned. This could go on forever.

Artemis sighed and whacked him again. "Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Thalia Grace and Nico Di Angelo are alive." She announced clearly and calmly, allowing a small smile when she mentioned the name of her lieutenant."

Apollo glared at her. "I wanted to say that!" Artemis stuck out her tongue at him.

Chiron felt like someone had punched him in the chest. _Alive? All four of them? Thank the gods._ Momentarily, the fire suddenly flared bright and high, casting a warm yellow glow on the campers and warming them up. He could hardly believe it. He was ashamed to admit it, of course, but he had nearly lost hope for their survival. Four weeks was a long time. He staggered back to collect himself at the news.

The assembled demigods all started talking at once and asking questions. "Where are they?" "Are they safe?" "What are they doing?" "Where have they been?""When are they coming back?" It was chaos. The noise even woke up Mr.D, who had been snoozing on the porch of the Big House. He stared at the commotion blearily, evidently decided it wasn't worth his time, and went back to sleep.

Artemis held up her hand, and the camp suddenly fell into silence. She opened her mouth, but Apollo beat her to it. "They are in another world. Apparently they needed help over at the other end and they asked my dad for , Zeus volunteered the four of them. "He folded his arms and grinned happily.

"So when are they coming back?" asked one of the campers.

Apollo looked at Artemis, who gave an exasperated sigh. "We don't know. I presume that they will return when their task is finished." She turned to her hunters and started talking with them in low tones. Chiron didn't mean to, but his hearing picked it up. _I spoke to Thalia an hour ago. She asked me to tell you that she's fine and she will return to you soon. _The hunters brightened visibly.

Apollo turned to the rest of the campers. "Oh yeah, reminds me, Uncle P asked me to pass on a message from Percy "

The camp suddenly went still. You could have heard a pin drop in the silence that ensued. Apollo cleared his throat grandly.

"Have courage to hope —  
though the darkness may linger,  
the sun can fight it."

The entire camp groaned in unison. Apollo put on an expression of faux hurt. He put a hand to his heart and sighed."Nobody seems to appreciate my talent." The permanent grin reappeared on his face. "Alright. Percy said, and I quote. 'Tell all my friends at Camp that we're fine. We all miss you, and hope to return soon. I know that most of them would probably be moping now that we're gone, but tell them to keep smiling. I'm counting on Cabin 11 to keep the smiles on '." He finished.

Chiron had to smile at Percy's bravery and his concern for the camp. Those words had been just what they needed. He then saw identical evil grins on the faces of the Stoll brothers and mentally groaned. _Oh Styx. _He then turned and bowed to the two Olympians. "Thank you, Lord Apollo and Lady Artemis for your tidings of hope."

Lady Artemis smiled gently at him and nodded before flashing out. Lord Apollo winked at the campers and flashed back to Olympus too. Chiron smiled and turned back to the campers. "Alright, it's time for us to retire. We'll talk more in the morning."

The campers left the amphitheatre buzzing with excitement. Chiron waited until all of them were back in their cabins, then cast a last look at the roaring fire before leaving for teh Big House. Yes...it was definitely bigger than before. Hope had been restored in the campers. Chiron trotted back to the Big House contentedly.

The kids from cabin 11 seemed to have taken Percy's words to heart. The next morning, the whole camp was rudely pulled out of the realm of Hypnos by a loud and very angry scream from the recently repainted and very pink Ares cabin. "STOLLS!"

As Chiron watched the whole Ares cabin murderously chasing after the frantic Stoll brothers, he couldn't help chuckling along with the rest of the watching demigods. _Yes. Even when he isn't here, Percy has brought smiles back to our faces. _

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Saruman

In Orthanc, the Black tower of Isengard. Saruman held the glowing orb in his hands, gazing deep into the depths of the palantir. He concentrated, and the orb came alive, liquid fire swirling in its murky depths. _Show me the events in Middle Earth. _He commanded.

Saruman quickly looked through the many things happening in different parts of Middle Earth. There wasn't much. The dwarves in Erebor were tinkering away at their forges as usual, no change. He couldn't see into Rivendell or Lothlorien, but he could check on MIrkwood. The forest was reinfested with dark creatures now. Giant spiders, black animals and many other things lurked in the shadows of Mirkwood. The elves constantly lived in fear. He saw Radagast, weak, stupid Radagast doing his best to fight the infestation. Fool. Nobody could fight the coming darkness now. In the Misty Mountains, the goblins were coming out in numbers once again, something they hadn't done since the Battle of the Five Armies long ago. They must be increasing in number, Saruman made a mental note to send some of his Uruk Hai to get them to join him. The men were the admittedly the most boring. They went about their everyday life fearfully, helpless. Weak. He checked in on his thrall in Rohan. King Theoden. The king had been wise and strong at first, but now his was a doddering, weak puppet, fed with lies daily by his servant Wormtongue.

He turned his attention to something infinitely more interesting. _Show me the Fellowship of the Ring._

An image formed within the palantir, a great, golden forest. _Ah, so they are in the Golden Wood. _Saruman tried to will the orb to show more, but nothing happened. _Shielded, of course. The Lady must have taken precautions, _Saruman cursed bitterly. Suddenly, the image in the orb started changing. _What's this? _The land in the palantir started to change, soon. The Palantir showed the fringes of the wood, at the Great River Anduin. Three boats were slowly sailing. Behind the three boats was a magnificent swan boat, where the Lord and Lady of the wood dined with the Fellowship.

Saruman willed the orb to go closer. The image became larger, until Saruman could see their faces. There was that Ranger friend of Gandalf's, someone who was apparently a high ranking official in Gondor, judging by the bold colors on his clothes. There was an elf and a dwarf, eating and talking together, which was surprising, to say the least. The four hobbits. Saruman studied each of their faces intently, memorizing them, searching for the Ringbearer. His eyes finally settled on one hobbit in particular. He was more quiet, more reserved. His hand constantly went to his pocket. A sure sign of the ring. Saruman memorized his features carefully. _He's mine._

Then there were the four youths. The ones that the wraiths had claimed "controlled the elements." Saruman wouldn't have believed it until the incident a few weeks ago, when he had blocked the Pass of Caradhras. He had grown strong, and he had been confident he could do it easily. At first, it was easy. Gandalf's puny counterspell didn't do any good at all. But then, a new force had stepped in. they wrested the control of the elements out of his hands, and built a shelter for themselves. It had been a very bitter struggle, and Saruman had lost. Fortunately, the little he had done was enough, and they had decided to take another route as he had forseen. After they had left, he had viciously knocked down the shelter which they had made. These youths were intriguing indeed. They would certainly be a very valuable asset, if only they could be turned to his side.

Saruman studied them closely, also memorizing their features. One of the boys, which was obviously the leader, had an unmistakable air of power and command. The way he walked and stood spoke of years of fighting. The girl beside him had long golden hair. She, too, radiated an air of leadership and …wisdom. There was a knife in her belt. The other girl had short, black hair. This one also gave off an aura of power…it seemed somehow linked to the sky, as the older boy had seemed linked to the sea. The youngest boy was dressed all in black, an aura of the dead and of the earth around him. All of them were obviously very powerful Could it be…No. it was impossible. The elves would never willingly give their precious rings to humans. As far as he knew, Narya was with Cirdan, Galadriel held Nenya and Elrond had Vilya. It was impossible that they had the rings.. He needed to know more about them… and who better to ask, then the defenceless, broken wizard in his cells? His mouth twisted upwards in a cruel smile as he strode towards the dungeons.

=o=o=o=o=o=o=o

An hour later, Saruman was confused. _How could this be possible? _Gandalf had just had his staff broken, his power forced from him. How could he be still resistant and unyielding? Saruman ground his teeth in frustration and glared murderously at the old man standing defiantly in the small, dirty cell.

"Answer me, Gandalf!" he roared. "My patience is wearing thin."

Gandalf chuckled darkly. "I wasn't aware you had any, Saruman."

_How? I broke his staff. I essentially destroyed his power as a Maia! How can he still have the strength and the defiance to laugh? He should have been reduced to a sniveling wreck by now! _Saruman growled and slammed Gandalf into the wall with his staff again. He stalked away, muttering foul curses to himself under his breath.

He turned to one of his Uruks. "Grishnakh, It's time for Gandalf's daily medicine. Make it hard, I want to hear him scream." He walked back up to his tower and slumped onto the "throne" in the main chamber. Looking into the palantir was a very tiring process. He had hoped that yelling at and torturing Gandalf would cheer him up, but it had only made him more frustrated than usual. Soon. The sweet sound of screaming reached his ears. A dark, cruel smile appeared on his face. Now _this _was cheering him up.

=o=o=o=o=o=o=o

Unknown to Saruman, in the small, nasty cell, after a particularly severe beating, an old man slumped wearily in the corner, then slipped out a ruby red ring from his sleeve and slid in onto his finger. The ring glowed a warm orange, and as he passed it over his wounds, the angry red cuts and welts seemed to soften. A feeling of warmth soothed his many injuries, and hope continued to grow in his heart.

Gandalf chuckled darkly. _This could go on a long time… _he thought.

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**As I said, I really really hope you enjoyed this. Next chapter will have the fellowship going to Amon Hen. Hey, I got a question for you guys… Do I write fight scenes well? I mean…I'm still a new writer so I'm not really sure of myself. I am personally happy with the fights I wrote in Moria, but I don't know if you feel the same. What do you guys think? **

**Anyway, a bit of advertising here. As I have mentioned, I have a good friend **_**alone in the water**_**. She currently betas my story and I beta hers. We have been collaborating on a Hunger games/Percy Jackson/Lord of the Rings crossover. Both of us enjoy writing it a lot, and would really appreciate it if fans of the above books go and check it out. The story is called **_**a pawn of the gods. **_**Hope you guys go and R and R! **

**Two other good Percy Jackson crossover fics which I love and have drawn some inspiration from are **_**Over the Sea **_**by **_**Thalia's Royal King **_**and **_**the Demigod, the Hobbit and the Ring **_**by **_**Syrlai. **_**If you haven't already, you might like to go check it out. I certainly enjoyed them. (Thals…yes you. I know you're reading this. Go update your story! ;))**

**Oh yeah, you know the deal. Review. Any Questions will certainly be answered. I would also love hearing about your favorite moments from the story and whatever you would like to see more of. Just please remember to drop a review. **

**Thanks for reading!**

**Peace out**

**PJcrazy**


	16. West, or East

**HELLO EVERYONE! I'M BACK! am sooo sorry this chapter of the story took so long. My father's company organized a three days two nights family camp in another state, so there wasn't much time. While I enjoyed myself there very much, I still itched to get back to my story. The reason was because of all those **_**wonderful**_** reviews I received! They made me feel so bad for not updating and keeping you all waiting… The second reason was because of my best friend on the site, Alone on the water, my sister in all but blood has been writing the crossover I have mentioned, and I have been kept busy editing and helping her with it. Its really great…**

**So anyway, I don't want to tire you with all my excuses… I AM SO FREAKING HAPPY! Why? Check out how many followers and favorites this story has! 75 FAVORITES and 112 FOLLOWERS! I AM SO HAPPY! YOU GUYS ARE SOOO AWESOME! Now if only everyone of them would leave a review…(wink wink, nudge nudge ;P)**

**ALSO, I HAVE 185 REVIEWS! THAT'S A BIG NUMBER! ITS SOOOO CLOSE TO 200! Do you think we can make it, guys? :D**

**Again, thanks to Alone on the Water(my sister and beta) for helping with some parts of the chapter and giving me the idea of the note, and thank YOU all for reading! I really hope you tell me what you think! Nothing excites a budding author more than feedback from readers. **

**So anyway, here's the next chapter of my story. This chapter is **_**intense**_**… so many emotions running high… I am personally **_**very**_** proud of the fight scene I inserted in there. I really hope you all like it! **

**ON WITH THE TALE!**

**=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o**

Aragorn

_Today is the day we leave. _Aragorn packed his travelling bag and strapped his sword back to his waist. Aragorn had often wished that he would not have to leave this peaceful place. Here lay the golden heart of the elves, and here his heart would have dwelled forevermore, if not for the threat of the Ring. He sighed and walked out of his rooms, descending to the bottom of the tree. Boromir was there waiting with Legolas and Gimli, who seemed to have totally abandoned his prejudices and had become friends with many of the elves. Frodo was there too, clutching something on his neck, and Sam, who was busy checking and rechecking that he had remembered everything. Merry and Pippin were mainly wandering around as usual, waiting. All of them had already packed for the journey ahead, with rugged travelling clothes and wooden staffs. He found Percy, Annabeth and Nico laughing in a room while Thalia muttered curses from the floor. Apparently Thalia had sat up from her hammock, overbalanced and fell down. He chuckled and watched as she got up, cursing her _friends _and throwing her stuff into her pack.

The demigods had caused quite a scene yesterday, when Haldir had wished to watch them spar. The entire forest had been awestruck by great displays of lightning and wind, earthquakes, storms, the creek rising, skeletons fighting, and Annabeth's amazing knife skills. Haldir had even challenged Annabeth to a brief duel. He was shocked to find himself disarmed and a knife put to his throat in under a minute. Fortunately, Haldir was a good sport, and had laughed along with the watching elves. The demigods were certainly very, very powerful. Aragorn knew the fate of Middle Earth could very well depend on them.

After they were all packed and ready to go, the Fellowship walked through the forest together in silence. Aragorn felt a pang as he counted the Fellowship once again to find one missing. Gandalf. He knew he was alive, but the news of his captivity and torture were distressing and grave indeed. There was another burden pressing on Aragorn's mind. East or West. Mordor lay to the East; Minas Tirith lay to the West. He had not yet decided a course. Boromir's sour words rang in his heart. Some words he had said a few days ago, before they had entered Lothlorien. '_You trust the other races more than you trust your own people. Wizards, elves and dwarves, but not us men. 'Those_ words troubled his heart greatly, even if he didn't show it. He couldn't decide what to do. The choice was too dangerous, the consequences if he chose wrong too great.

Beyond Lothlorien, he did not know what Gandalf had intended to do. Gandalf had been the leader; he would have already had a plan. His own plan, while Gandalf had still been with them, had been to go with Boromir, and with his sword help to deliver Gondor from her enemies, but since the tragedy in Moria, the burden of leadership had been laid on him; and he knew that he could not now forsake the Ring. If Frodo refused in the end to go with Boromir, what could he do but lead the Fellowship into Mordor? Yet, what help could he or any of the company give to Frodo, save to walk blindly with him into the darkness? Aragorn felt divided in heart and mind. If Frodo chose to go to Mordor, then he would have to choose the Quest over his own plans. He would have gone with him to the very end, even to the fires of Mordor. It would be a huge sacrifice, but one he would have been willing to make. _After all, is it not the duty of the King to ensure the safety of his Kingdom above all? _Aragorn's heart should have felt settled, but in truth… it was more in turmoil than ever.

They were led by an elf to the pavilion where they had first been taken to on the first day, and one he had been to many times before. There, Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel waited for them. Lord Celeborn cleared his throat. "Now is the time, when those who wish to continue the Quest must harden their hearts to leave this land. Those who no longer wish to go forward may remain here for a while." Aragorn understood. He was offering them a choice, testing their resolve. When his turn came, he returned Lord Celeborn's gaze steadily. His heart swelled with pride to see that none of the Company backed down, not even the youngest hobbit.

For the first time, Celeborn's impassive face broke into a small smile. "It does my heart proud to see that there is hope in Middle Earth still. So you have all resolved to go forward." He further studied them, and then continued. "I have spoken to Aragorn and Boromir, and I see that you do not yet know what to do. It is not my part to choose for you; but I will help you as I may. I will furnish your Company with boats. They must be small and light, for if you go far by water, there are places where you will be forced to carry them. Boats may make your journey less toilsome for a while, yet they will not give you counsel, in the end you must leave them and the river, and turn west…or east." Aragorn was very glad for the gift of the boats, for they delayed his choice for a few more days. He knew there would be a very great possibility that the Fellowship of the Ring would be split at Amon Hen, thus he was glad they would stay together, if only for a little longer.

Together, they walked slowly towards the fringe of the forest, beside the great river. Four graceful elven boats bobbed in the flowing water, with many elves stocking the boats with provisions for a long journey. Aragorn didn't miss the way Percy's eyes lit up when he saw the boats, and he grinned at Sam and Nico's horrified expressions. Apparently they had no love for boats. Aragorn was glad and relieved to see the elves packing in many rolls of _lembas _bread, which would be an enormous help. It was a special bread made by the elves with a sweet flavor and miraculous properties. A cake of it would sustain a traveler for an entire day's march.

"Though you have been our guests," said Celeborn, "you have not yet eaten with us, and we bid you, therefore, to a parting feast. "He invited.

Aragorn exchanged a look with Percy and Boromir, whom he now considered the co-leaders of the group. The look spoke volumes. Boromir was eager to be on his way, while Percy was always ready for another meal. A small smile played on his lips as he realized just how close they had become, to be able to read responses from just a glance. Being in several life-or-death situations and saving each other's lives many times over certainly bonded a group like nothing else could in a short time. They reached an agreement, and Aragorn bowed respectfully to Lord Celeborn. "_Le fael_ (Thank you/you are generous), Lord Celeborn. We would be honored."

The feast was a rather grand affair on a beautiful boat with a prow shaped like a swan's head. The boat was enormous, and amazing, with gold engravings and a huge dining table on the deck. As usual, they ate only fruits, vegetables and bread, in accordance to the customs of the elves. Aragorn smothered a wide grin when he heard Nico, Gimli and the hobbits groaning at the "green food". The meal was mostly silent, each member lost in thought. There was a surreal quality to this time, as everyone knew it may very well be the last time they would set eyes on each other in living form again.

At the end to the feast, Lady Galadriel rose gracefully. "We have drunk the cup of parting, and the shadows fall between us. But before you go, I have brought on my ship gifts which the Lord and Lady of the Galadhrim now offer you in memory of Lothlorien."

She presented all of the Fellowship with elven cloaks made of a heavy, soft material that seemed to shimmer and blend into the background. They were grey as twilight under the trees, but when held against the trees, they were green as leaves; brown as fields by night. When it was held it against the water, it was silver as flowing water. Aragorn put the cloak on and marveled at how comfortable it felt. The cloaks would keep them warm and protect them at the same time. "These cloaks were woven by my handmaidens and myself. They will serve to hide you from danger, and you will find an arrow or a knife does not easily penetrate the material."

_Woven by the Lady herself? This is a high honor indeed! _Overcome, Aragorn knelt before Galadriel. "_Le fael, Hiril vuin.__ Ci fêl." _(You are generous, My Lady. Thank you)

He felt the Lady lay a hand on his shoulder, and he rose. "Is there aught else you desire of me at our parting? For it may be that we shall never meet again."

There was only one thing in his mind. "Lady, you know all my desire. You know what is it I seek, yet it is not yours to give me, even if you would; and only through darkness shall I come to it." The throne of Gondor. The throne of Elendil, and Isildur. It was time for him to claim it.

"Yet maybe this will lighten your heart," said Galadriel, "For it was left in my care to be given to you, should you pass through this land." She held out a clear, green jewel, set in silver with the likeness of an eagle with outspread wings. Aragorn's eyes widened. _Could it be…?_"In this hour, take this token of hope foretold for you, Elessar, the Elfstone of Elendil!" Aragorn was, to use a phrase the demigods had used, struck dumb. The Elfstone of the house of Elendil. The token of kingship. There were no words to say. He looked gratefully into the eyes of Celeborn and Galadriel, and they understood his unspoken thanks.

The time passed in a blur. Aragorn saw Boromir given a golden belt intricately wrought with the design of interlacing leaves. Boromir, too was overcome by such generosity. Legolas and Thalia received bows of the Galadhrim, carved of the finest wood, and strung with elf hair. Merry and Pippin received elven knives enchanted with many spells against evil, and a silver brooch in the shape of a leaf. Gimli had shown a poetic, eloquent side that none knew existed, and had requested only for three golden hairs of the Lady to remember her and the elves by. Nico and Percy were given shirts of mithril to protect them in battle, with their names spelt in elven runes. Percy's was blue, Nico's was black. Much to their amusement, Annabeth had chosen a book of compiled elvish poems, with a small translation guide. To Sam, the Lady gave him strong elven rope, and a box of soil from Lorien. Lastly, Frodo was given the light of Earendil, a phial which would light their path when all other lights go out. Aragorn was deeply grateful for all these gifts. The elves had indeed chosen to honour them greatly.

Together, they thanked the Lord and Lady profusely for their great generosity, and they laughed and talked. But all things must eventually come to an end, and with a heavy heart, the Fellowship of the Ring got onto the boats, and slowly began rowing away from the fair land of Lorien. Aragorn knew that many of them would never come back again, and so he allowed his boat to drift, their eyes fixed on the fading shoreline, until they came to a bend in the river, and they saw it no more. Aragorn picked up his paddle and began to row, away from the green forest, to the brown wilderland ahead.

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Boromir

"Last one to Amon Hen has to cook dinner!" Thalia's gleeful shout rang through open surface of the river.

Boromir groaned mentally, Trust those demigods to turn everything into a competition. Nevertheless, a wide grin grew on his face, and he began to row faster, trying to catch up with the rest. Merry and Pippin immediately took up a chant, yelling "Row…Faster! Row…Faster! Row…Faster!" they jumped around so much they nearly overturned the boat. Boromir just laughed and started rowing as fast as he could, following the chant. Aragorn's boat was in the lead, with Sam and Frodo on it. Aragorn handled the paddle skillfully, as if he had done this many times before. Nobody was rowing in Percy, Annabeth and Nico's boat, yet it was cutting through the water at an impressive speed. Legolas, Gimli and Thalia in the third. The two archers cheerfully discussed archery tactics and techniques while the strong dwarf rowed with powerful strokes. Taking up the rear was his boat, with Merry and Pippin still chanting and bouncing excitedly. He grinned. This would be fun.

Two days had passed since they had left the land of Lorien. Truthfully, Boromir wasn't too sad to leave. The land was beautiful, yes; they had rested well too, and the elves were a good and generous folk. But Boromir could not feel comfortable there. The land had been too strange, the people too different, for him to settle. All in all, he was grateful for their gifts and hospitality, but no, he would not wish to return. All he wanted was to see his beloved city again. Boromir did some quick calculations in his head. By his reckoning, they would reach Amon Hen in another three hours, and then they would have to make a choice. West…or East. East or West. Mordor or Minas Tirith. Certain Death or Fortified City. Destroy the weapon, or use it. Boromir's head ached.

Thalia gave an excited whoop as their boat overtook Percy's, but he just grinned and lay back in relaxation, making a twirling motion with his fingers. Legolas and Thalia shrieked with indignation as their boat suddenly stopped moving, and the water pushed the boat to become the last in line. Percy's boat, meanwhile, shot forward suddenly at near impossible speeds, easily overtaking Aragorn's boat. Boromir chuckled. _Never choose to fight an opponent in his own domain, eh?_ He picked up speed, ignoring the shouts of protest and good-natured insults from the last boat.

The race lasted for nearly two hours until the contestants became too exhausted to carry on. The winner, obviously had been Percy. Aragorn and Boromir managed to tie for second place, while Thalia, Legolas and Gimli were dead last. _Well… I heard that Thalia was a huntress once. I hope she has decent cooking skills, for Gimli and Legolas are hopeless at it…_Boromir would have expected them to be angry and resentful, but they were laughing and congratulating Percy. _They really are different from us._ Boromir could honestly say he had enjoyed himself. How long had it been since he had had some normal fun with Faramir? Not since his brother had left for Ithilien… Being the son of Denethor forced you to grow up much faster than normal children…

Suddenly, Aragorn and Percy stopped rowing. A hush descended upon the group. Boromir looked up, surprised at the sudden silence. What he saw made him gasp in shock and awe.

The Argonath. The Pillars of the Kings. Two great statues like towering three hundred feet pinnacles loomed over the boats with power and majesty. He had heard stories about the great statues of Isildur and Anarion, the two sons of Elendil at the Northern Border of Gondor, but to see them with his own eyes… it was truly, truly awe inspiring. At the end of the tall cliffs at both sides of the river, they stood. Holding a sword in one arm, the other outstretched towards the enemies of Gondor in a gesture of defiance. The silent sentinels. In the other boat, Aragorn whispered something to himself, and stood tall. Suddenly, years of toil and weariness seemed to fall off him, and he stood tall, the elfstone gleaming on his chest. For the first time, Boromir saw the King instead of the Ranger. His King. He suddenly realized that Aragorn was standing before this great monument to his ancestors. Isildur and Anarion. Boromir bowed his head in respect.

=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=

"None of us should wander alone, you least of all. So much depends on you, Frodo." He watched the young hobbit stumble backwards. One hand straying to his blade, which was glowing a faint blue, the other hand straying to his neck, where a gleam of gold escaped. _The Ring…._ A sudden desire to seize it came upon him, but he resisted. _This…must…be…his choice. _But the voice was growing fainter. The ring was singing to him, drawing him in. a fog seemed to come upon his mind. He saw the Ring in his mind's eye, calling to him. The lure of the ring, which he had felt for the entire journey grew stronger still. So far, he had been able to keep himself from falling, but now… he couldn't think. He needed the ring. He kept his face kind and benevolent.

"I know why you seek solitude. You suffer. I see it day by day. Are you sure you do not suffer needlessly? Will you not take my counsel?" The hobbit stood silent. Boromir listened to the Falls of Rauros roaring and the wind murmuring in the trees for a moment, then, seeing that the hobbit still remained unresponsive, continued his entreaty. "There are other ways, Frodo…other paths that we might take." Boromir pleaded. The pull of the ring was getting stronger. He needed the Ring. Something in him was fighting the urge, but it seemed to steadily dwindle in volume and force.

For the first time, the hobbit spoke. "I know what you would say, and it would seem like wisdom except for the warning of my heart."

Boromir frowned. "Warning? Against what?" He started towards Frodo, but the hobbit hurriedly stepped back.

"Warning against delay, against the way that seems easier. Against refusal of the burden that is laid on me. I know what it is I should do, but I am afraid of doing it, Boromir. Afraid."

Boromir's patience was rapidly fading. He wanted the Ring NOW! It should have been his! This hobbit was severely trying his patience, but again he stilled himself. "We are all afraid, Frodo. But to let this fear drive us to destroy what hope we have…Don't you see this is madness?"

"There is no other way." The hobbit stood his ground.

Boromir lost his patience. Angrily, he threw the pile of wood he had collected on the forest floor. "All I ask for is the strength to defend my people! What could not a mighty warrior do in this hour, a great leader with the Ring? Aragorn could do it! Or if he refuses, Why not Boromir?! The Ring would give me power of command; how I would destroy the army of Mordor, and all men shall flock to my banner!" He paced around the forest, waving his arms as he grew more excited. He turned to the hobbit and stretched out his hand eagerly, "If you would but _lend _me the Ring…"

The aggravating hobbit recoiled and stepped back. "No."

Boromir again stilled himself with great effort. His whole body was trembling with suppressed energy. The ring _must _be his. "Why do you recoil? I am no thief. I need the Ring; that you know now; but I give you my word that I do not desire to keep it." Again he started towards the small hobbit.

"You are not yourself." The hobbit said warily, his hand fingering the _object _ on his neck. He turned to leave.

Boromir threw up his hands in frustration and anger. "You Fool! Running wilfully towards death and ruining our cause. If any mortals have claim to the Ring, it is the men of Numenor, and not the Halflings. It is not yours save by unhappy chance. It might have been mine, it _should _have been mine. Give it to me! Give me the Ring!" Angrily, he ran towards the hobbit. If he wasn't going to give it to him willingly, he would get it by force. The Ring must be his. Hark now, it was singing to him, a siren song promising power and grandeur, fame and honour. He _had _to have it. He sprang on the hobbit,

The terrified hobbit ran behind a huge flat stone. Boromir growled in his throat and sprang over to find…_nothing!_ The miserable Halfling must have put on the Ring. The Ring that rightfully should have been his! Boromir spun wildly around and gave a cry of anger and hatred. "I see your mind, you would take the Ring to Sauron and sell us all. You go to your death, and the death of us all!"

A rustle sounded in the undergrowth next to him. He ran towards it. Arms outstretched. He was going to _kill _that miserable hobbit. "Curse you, and all the Halflings!" Suddenly, his foot caught against a stone, and he fell to the ground.

He was winded. Suddenly, with the departure of Frodo and his fall, the fog left his mind, and his head was cleared. He saw again his previous actions and was horrified. _What have I done? What have I caused?!_ He had fallen. He knew it. He had been seduced by the Ring. "Frodo, Frodo, what have I done? I'm sorry!" he screamed, hoping that Frodo would hear and forgive. He started weeping. He had failed. He could not go back and face the rest of the Fellowship. He sat on a stump and held his face in his hands, his shoulders shaking with grief and self-loathing.

=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o

The sounds of war echoed through the forest. Iron clashing on iron, the _twang _of bowstrings, cries of pain, shouts of defiance. Boromir sprinted through the forest as fast as he could, jumping over roots and fallen branches and crashing through the thick undergrowth towards the sounds of the fight. Orcs. He remembered seeing Frodo's blade gleam blue, and he cursed himself for not realizing what it had meant. In the distance, he heard the cries of Merry and Pippin, interspersed with the guttural growls of the Orcs. Boromir drew his sword. He had failed to protect Frodo, but he swore that he would not fail again. As he ran, he saw Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli fighting a contingent of Orcs near a stone seat, and Percy, Thalia and Nico fighting back to back in another part of the forest.

_Crash!_ He burst out from the trees into a small clearing, where Merry and Pippin were desperately waving their elven blades at nearly fifty Orcs surrounding them. He gave a mighty yell and hurled himself forward.

He slew an orc immediately with the element of surprise, then turning, he decapitated three Orcs in a row. He stood in front of the two hobbits, sword drawn, shield upraised; a true son of Gondor.

The Orcs advanced. Boromir crouched, then leaped towards them. His sword flashed in the air. He recalled all the fighting classes his father had made him take, and he lunged. An orc. He blocked the clumsy blow with his own shield and stabbed him in the chest. He whirled and decapitated another orc. Another orc lunged at him and slashed at his knee, causing a line of pain to flare up. Boromir grunted with pain and bashed him with his shield, breaking its nose, then thrusted his sword into its forehead. Another orc slipped behind him and ran for the two terrified hobbits. _No!_ Boromir desperately pulled his knife from his belt and threw it hard. His aim was true, and the orc collapsed. But his knife was now out of reach.

There were so many of them. More and more Orcs lumbered towards him, wielding wickedly sharp, hooked blades. He exchanged hundreds of blows and strikes; his sword dripped with black blood. His shield became battered and dented; bruises, grazes and bleeding cuts now adorned his feet and legs. He was tired, but he couldn't stop. Stopping would mean failure. But he was fighting a losing battle. He knew that. Left with no other choice, he dropped his shield and reached for the Horn of Gondor, sounding three loud blasts on it. _Please…_he begged whoever would be listening; maybe the Vala would hear his request...He threw the horn aside and grasped his sword with two hands, and continued fighting.

An orc directly in front of him managed to slip through his defence and nearly killed him right there, if it hadn't been for the rock that hit his forehead and caused him to stumble. Boromir's sword cleaved off its ugly head. He turned and nodded thankfully to the hobbits.

But that movement was to become his fatal error. He had turned his back to the enemy. There was a sharp _twang_ and something slammed into his back hard, throwing him to the ground. Pain erupted in his back, and he realized an arrow had hit him. He gasped in pain, then turned around. He _could not_ die. He snarled and continued fighting, killing three more Orcs with well-aimed blows. A sense of impeding fear came upon him, he looked up and saw the largest orc of all, aiming a huge bow notched with a black arrow at his chest.

_Twang._ The second arrow hit his upraised hand. More pain flared, but he gritted his teeth and pulled it out, gasping in pain and as the arrow slid through his flesh. He might not be able to use that arm again. But his sword arm was still fine, his spirit still strong. Two more Orcs he killed, one with a clean stroke through the head, the second with his knife. The Orcs were backing away now, obviously surprised. That arrow to the back should have killed him. And yet, he knew he couldn't last forever. He didn't need to look up to know that the third black arrow was being aimed straight at him.

_Twang._ It hit him in the leg, igniting yet more pain as it pierced an earlier cut. Boromir collapsed to the ground in pain, unable to walk. Orcs laughed and ran towards him. He shut out the pain, shut out everything. He would not feel anything until the fight was over. He sat up and lashed out with his sword, taking down three more with deep cuts through their chests. He felt nothing, enveloped in battle fury.

_Twang. _Now it was the other leg. Boromir realized the orc was toying with him, dragging out his pain and agony. A snarl escaped him. He resorted to an old method he had learned long ago, to ignore every signal coming from his nerves. He would not give the Orcs the satisfaction. He knew he was going to die. He smiled. The grim smile of a man who knows he is going to die. If he was to die here, he was going to take as many of the foul creatures as he could with him. He staggered to his feet. His legs screamed in agony. He ignored them. He raised his sword. The Orcs backed away in fear, afraid of the man who refused to die. He lunged forward.

_Twang._ His chest. He fell back, all the wind knocked from his lungs. This was the fatal shot. He knew it. His iron control slipped, and suddenly every nerve in his body was screaming in pain. All the bruises, all the cuts, all the wounds, the arrows. His whole body was in agony. His eyes started closing. Darkness started to take him. There were at least forty dead Orcs lying around him. His horn was in two pieces. _Perhaps my sacrifice would not be in vain. Perhaps the Halflings will be safe..._

Through half-closed eyes, he saw a figure rushing forward, black hair flying behind her, silver arrows flying in front of her. More Orcs fell. He saw Merry and Pippin run forward, screaming in anger and defiance. Their elven blades cut the necks of two Orcs before they were disarmed and scooped up by the remaining Orcs. Thalia fired more arrows into their midst, calling down lightning to kill more Orcs, but it wasn't enough, another group of Orcs suddenly joined them, and the daughter of Zeus was overwhelmed. Boromir tried to get up, to help, but a wave of pain washed over him, turning his vision red.

He heard footsteps on the leaves. Someone was approaching him slowly. A figure stood in front of him. An arrow was notched to a black bow, aimed straight for his heart. The orc had come to finish its job. It pulled back the string…and Aragorn slammed into him. They fought hard, but Aragorn finally sliced off its arm and decapitated him. Aragorn ran to him and put a hand on his shoulder. He was dying. With a great effort, he grasped Aragorn's arm. There were some things that must be said before he died.

He gave a painful gasp, and mustered up his remaining strength. "They took the little ones…and Thalia…I do not think they are dead..." He took another painful breath. "I tried to take the Ring from Frodo. Forgive me…I did not see…"

Aragorn placed a hand upon his shoulder. "The Ring is beyond our reach now. No. You have fought bravely, you have kept your honour." Desperately, he tried to bind his bleeding wounds.

"It…It is over. The world of men will fall to darkness, and my city to ruin…Aragorn…" He knew he would not be able to protect his city any more. He gazed at Aragorn, desiring him to understand. Gondor would need her King. He needed to make Aragorn understand that he was a _king._

Aragorn hesitated, but his expression was grim and determined. "I do not know what strength is left in my blood, but I swear to you, I will not let the White City fall, nor your people fail."

Boromir grasped Aragorn's arm tightly. "_Our _people…_our _people." He saw the light of understanding dawn in his eyes. He smiled briefly. "I would have followed you to the end…my brother…my captain…my King…" He meant it. He knew Aragorn would understand.

He closed his eyes, and a white light slowly enveloped him…

=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o

Annabeth.

Annabeth's heart ached at the thought of what she was about to do. She knew it would hurt, not only her, but Percy too, maybe even the whole Fellowship. Yet, she was convinced she had to do it. There was a deep seated conviction in her heart that told her this was the right choice. She only hoped that Percy would understand. She had seen it coming for some time already. The vision in the mirror had been the first sign, then the recurring nightmares, a talk with Lady Galadriel and her talk with her mother. This was why she had been sent here along with the three cousins. She had questioned her value in the beginning of the trip, of her usefulness to the Fellowship; now she saw it all so clearly. Yet... it would hurt so. _The choice..._In her mind's eye, she could almost see the two-headed god Janus, tossing a key between both hands:_ choose, choose..._She cast the image from her mind. She did not need _that _particular god in her head. _Mother... I wish you were here..._

She listened to the sounds of fierce fighting in the woods and fingered her bronze knife nervously, wishing with all her heart that she could be fighting side by side with Percy. But she could not, would not back down now. She knew what she had to do. She would do it. She mentally reviewed her preparations and checked her backpack again. Ambrosia, check. Nectar, check. Elven bread, check. Water, check. Jars of Greek fire, check. Shield, check. Her precious book of elven poems was safely tucked in backpack. Her elven cloak was fastened around her shoulders. She even took along Daedalus' laptop as well, although she knew there would be no conceivable use for it here. _Well… always be prepared, right?_

She had already put on her invisibility cap. She waited by the riverbank, at the small clearing where they had been sitting almost half an hour earlier, waiting for Frodo to make his decision. It had been her that noticed that Boromir was gone, causing the Company to panic and run off in search of him. She had run with Percy for a while, but then realized what Frodo would have done. Slipping on her invisibility cap, she had quietly left Percy's side without his noticing and ran quickly to the riverbank.

_Now for the note._ She rummaged around in her backpack until she found the beautiful peacock feather quill & the pieces of parchment Arwen had generously given her during her stay in Rivendell. She dipped the pen in an ink bottle, & bit her lip, trying to think of what she would say. She took a deep breath, & set the quill to parchment.

_Dear Percy, _

_ By the time you have found & read this note of mine, I will probably have left and been well on my way to Mordor with Frodo. Don't ask me how I know, as I will not tell you, but I know that he will decide to go to Mordor on his own. When he goes, I will have to go with him. It would be dangerous for a lone hobbit to walk into Mordor alone, especially the Ringbearer. He will need someone close to him to help him through the journey. I know that this will hurt you. My own heart aches at the thought of leaving you too, but please try not to worry about me…_

A tear fell onto the paper as she wrote the last sentence. She hadn't even realized she was crying. Who was she kidding? Of course Percy would worry, it was his nature. She knew him too well. She attempted to swallow the lump in her throat, blinked away her tears, & continued writing.

…_You know perfectly well I can take care of myself. DO NOT come after me, Seaweed Brain. I know that is just the kind of thing you would do. You know who I am, it doesn't work. This is something I have to do on my own. This is what I was supposed to do. This is my own choice._

_ I hope you won't be angry with me for leaving like this, Percy. Believe me, this hurts me as well. More than anything, I wish I could be fighting by your side, being with you. But we have to take separate paths for the time being. You will have your part to play, & I will have mine. I repeat, do not follow me. You will be needed elsewhere. _

_ I love you, Percy. I don't want you to be hurt by my leaving. Promise me that you will not mourn after me constantly. Your other friends will need you to be focused. Keep that sarcastic, troublemaker smile that I love on your face. Promise me that you will continue to be objective. I don't want my leaving to cause you to break down._

She stifled a sob & fingered the coral pendant on her necklace. Did she really have to do this? Even before she had left, the pain was already there. Must they really be separated? Was this the only way? Angrily, she quelled those traitor thoughts. She mustn't break down now. She continued to finger the pendant, a present Percy had gotten her from his father's palace after the Battle of Manhattan, when they had officially begun dating. This small gift will bring her comfort.

_Don't cry for me, Seaweed Brain. This isn't goodbye, merely… see you later. __If all goes well,__ we will see each other again, Percy. Don't worry. Tell Nico & Thalia not to mope either. It doesn't suit them. Keep up hope, & make sure the fellowship keeps smiling. I will do my part for Frodo, maybe Sam too. I suspect that he will be coming along too. _

_ I love you Seaweed Brain. Don't worry. I will see you again, & perhaps we can have some time alone without being interrupted by monsters, gods or other worlds needing help. Don't forget to smile._

_Your loving girlfriend_

_Annabeth._

She read it over again, eyes misting over again as she thought of Percy's reaction to finding the note. He would probably be devastated, but she knew he would respect her wishes. She left the note on a rock where it would be sure to be found by anyone coming back to the river, and weighed it down with a small pebble. She sat down on another of the rocks by the riverbank & swiped a hand across her eyes to dry them. Now she was here waiting. Just waiting.

She didn't have to wait long. The grass and the undergrowth at the edges of the clearing rustled, as if something small had passed through them; & even though Annabeth watched carefully, even she couldn't detect any trace of a passing hobbit. _They are certainly very stealthy_. At the very edge of the river, Frodo Baggins suddenly reappeared. The ring glinted on his palm as he stared at it pensively. He seemed to be in deep thought. Tears fell from his eyes. Annabeth understood the struggle he was going through. After all, only moments ago she had been in his position herself.

After what seemed like an age, he slipped the ring into his vest pocket with renewed determination and scooped up his pack. He clambered into one of the elven boats and picked up the paddle, pushing off into the river. _Time to go…_Annabeth thought. She made her way towards the boat, casting a few wistful glances back at the forest. Percy was in there. She would miss him.

Before she could make a sound, though, another hobbit came crashing through the underbrush with far less grace than the first one. Samwise Gamgee ran at full speed to the riverbank. "NOT ALONE! MR. FRODO! Mr. FRODO!" He cried in anguish. _Ah… I knew it._

Frodo looked sadly at his loyal friend. "No Sam… Go back. I'm going to Mordor alone."

Sam looked at the boat, then at the water. He seemed to come to a decision. He shouldered his pack, and made as if for a running start. "Of course you are, Mr. Frodo." He then started running, straight towards the boat. "And I'm coming with you!"

Frodo's eyes widened as he realized what Sam was doing, as did Annabeth. She rushed forward, but it was too late. "You can't swim!" Frodo yelled, just as Sam fell headfirst into the water, just missing the boat. _Oh Styx. _

Annabeth dived into the water & headed for the drowning hobbit with strong, sure strokes. She had never been more thankful to Percy for dragging her to the pool or the ocean time & time again for a long, tiring swim. She managed to grab the collar of the hobbit & pull him up through the murky water. Sam's head broke the surface of the river, & Frodo grasped his hands instantly. "Save me Mr. Frodo! I'm drownded!" Sam spluttered desperately. Frodo pulled with all his strength, & finally fished a bedraggled, half drowned hobbit out of the water.

Annabeth relaxed slightly as she felt Sam being pulled out of the water, & she swam up to the surface too, listening carefully to their conversation.

"Of all the confounded nuisances you are the worst, Sam! If you hadn't come, I would be safely on my way to Mordor now!" Frodo exclaimed.

Sam replied with fierce passion "I made a promise, Mr. Frodo." He paused, presumably to take a breath or spit out some river water. "Don't you leave him, Samwise Gamgee." A sob escaped him. "& I don't mean to…I don't mean to."

Frodo started crying too. "Oh Sam!", & he began to laugh through his tears.

Annabeth took a deep breath. Time to make her entrance. She reached out & grabbed the side of the boat, making the boat rock dangerously to the side & the two hobbits cry out in fear. She pulled her cap off, to reveal herself, & she climbed aboard the boat, trying to shake some of the water out of her clothes & hair. She smiled gently at them. "Do you have room for one more, Frodo?"

Her choice was made. No turning back now.

=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=

At length they came to land again on the southern slopes of Amon Lhaw. There they found a shelving shore, & they drew the boat up, high above the water, & hid it as well as they could behind a great boulder. Then. Shouldering their burdens, they set off, seeking a path that would bring them over the grey hills of the Emyn Muil, & down to the land of Shadow.

Annabeth gazed over the bleak, forbidding landscape. Black soil, strewn with sharp, jagged rocks. It was a far cry from Lorien. "Mordor," she spoke softly. She glanced back the way they had come. "I hope the others find a safer road."

Sam turned to her. "Strider will look after them" he said simply.

Frodo sighed. "I don't suppose we'll ever see them again." He said wistfully, sadly.

"We may yet, Mr. Frodo, we may." Sam smiled.

Annabeth smiled at the determined hobbit, so full of hope. "Yes… We should never give up hope of seeing our loved ones again, for it is that love that fuels us to complete our mission."_ Percy…_

Frodo smiled gratefully at the both of them. "I'm glad you're here with me." He said simply. Annabeth understood.

Together, they set off.

Mordor.

=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o

**Didn't see **_**that**_** coming, did you? Well, the chapter is finished, I will try my best to get the next chapter out by the end of next week. (That is… if my friend AotW doesn't flood me with chapters of **_**her **_**story. ) Remember to check out her story if you're free, it would mean a lot to both of us. **

**Please remember to review! I **_**love **_**reviews!**

**PJcrazy signing out.**


	17. Different Roads

**Hey guys! Yes, it's me. I'm back with the next chapter of the story. First off, I want to apologize to all my loyal readers for taking such a long hiatus. After writing that last chapter, I threw myself back into my studies, and I lost my drive to write for quite a while. And while I'm not in any way laying any blame on anybody, I have been kept quite busy beta-ing my best friend Alone on the water's (who I consider a sister) PjatO and Hunger Games crossover. I know this in no way excuses me from being lazy and not updating for so long, and so I apologize.**

**Anyway, I really need to thank two of my reviewers. Actually, I want to thank **_**all**_** my reviewers for reading and reviewing my story, but these two were the ones who got this chapter posted. As I said, I lost my drive to write for quite some time. One or two paragraphs sat on the computer, untouched. Then I got a new review (which was great. The last chapter seemed unusually quiet in terms of reviews…) from a guest (I don't know who you are, but thanks). It said: **Please post the next chapter soon. It's been almost a month, and this is a really amazing story. _**That**_** jolted me back into action. He reminded me that there were still people waiting. So I got on my computer and started typing away frantically. I almost finished the chapter. I had practically written down the whole thing and it only needed some proofing. Unfortunately, I got lazy again, until Tiarna na Fainne posted a review yesterday. **Really good story. I LOVE PERCABETH! Sorry, i'll calm down now, when's the next chapter out? PLEASE TELL ME YOU'RE GOING TO UPDATE SOON!.**and that gave me a well-needed kick in the behind to proof my chapter and post it ASAP. So yeah, thanks to both of you, or this chapter might have come out a lot later. Reviews are really amazing at making an author happy and guilty all at once. So please review!**

**That's it for now, Enjoy the story! **

**And write something in the box at the bottom right of the screen. It does wonders. Truly.**

**=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o**

Nico

Three loud horn blasts sounded. Nico jumped and whipped around, heart in his mouth, before recognizing the sound as Boromir's horn. Nico and Percy paused in their frenzied fighting to glance around wildly at the direction of the sound, but there were too many orcs, too many enemies to be distracted for long. _ Clang! _Nico barely blocked the orc's blow with his shadow-shield. He grunted, and pushed the orc back. He lashed out with his foot, catching the orc unawares, then thrust his Stygian iron sword deep into the orc's stomach, leeching its essence and reducing it into a nothing but a pile of dust. Behind him, Percy sliced off the head of another orc with Riptide, causing it to burst into monster dust. More and more orcs came. Nico had no idea where Thalia and Annabeth had gone. They had become separated sometime during the heat of the fight. He hoped they were safe. _Swoosh, _Nico ducked just in time to avoid being decapitated by another orc. He hurriedly kicked it in the groin, knocking it back a few paces and buying himself some time, then lunged forward to sink his sword into his unprotected chest. He heard Percy grunt, then two orcs reeled back with deep gashes on their necks before exploding into dust. Both of them held their swords high and their shields at the ready, eyes darting around nervously, waiting for the next wave. None came.

Nico gave a sigh of relief and allowed his shield to dissolve into shadow. He held up his shield arm, wincing at the amount of purple bruises his arm had sustained from blocking all those hammer-like blows. He had never even felt them in the heat of battle, but now they were beginning to sting. He checked his torso for wounds, but his mithril-mail shirt seemed to have protected him from most blows. There weren't even any bruises. _Thank the Lady…_Beside him, Percy dusted himself off and kept his weapons, panting heavily. Lucky guy never even got a scratch, due to the Curse. Nico reached into his pack and got out his bottle of nectar, taking a swig from it and feeling the cooling sensation run down his arms, the bruises fading into nothing. _Great stuff, this._ Percy pulled out a pack of ambrosia and tossed a square to him, taking one for himself. They sat together in silence, feeling the godly food restore their strength. Each of them were thinking the same thing, but none were ready to voice it.

"So, death radar. Anyone we know dead?" Percy asked hesitantly.

Nico closed his eyes and concentrated. His abilities had been growing stronger as he matured, and sensing death was one of the easiest ones. He wasn't really proud of this ability, but he had to admit it did come in useful sometimes. He extended his senses, but it was difficult, with so many dead orcs around. There was death everywhere. No way to tell whether the their friends had been among them. He sighed and gave up. "Can't tell. Too much death here to tell."

Percy nodded grimly. They would have to do it the hard way, then. Together, they set out through the forest, swords in their hands in case of meeting stragglers that had survived. Still tensed from the fight, adrenaline still pumping, their senses seemed to have grown sharper, and their nerves were still raw, causing them to jump at the slightest sound. "Where's Annabeth and Thalia?" asked Percy distractedly, his eyes never leaving the trees beside them.

"Don't know. I think Thalia ran in the direction of the horn blasts to help Boromir. Wasn't Annabeth with you?" Nico replied.

Percy's voice was thick with concern and fear. "I don't know. I think we got separated even before the orcs arrived, when we were searching for Frodo and Boromir. Gods, I hope she's okay…"

Nico tried to think of something to reassure him. He couldn't. This comforting business had never been his strong point. He was worried about his cousin too. Thalia had been alone when she ran off. Was she okay? Even the daughter of Zeus might have difficulty fighting of a bunch of orcs alone. In wordless agreement, they increased their pace to the direction where they had last heard Boromir's horn. Quiet, hesitant. Afraid. Somehow, there was more fear now that the battle was over then when they were fighting. Fear that a friend might have not made it. Fear that an orc had got in a lucky shot. Fear.

The first sign that told Nico something was wrong was the quiet. The forest was too quiet. Too quiet. All the birds seemed to have stopped singing. The forest was eerily quiet. They found Legolas on a tree, head in hands, quietly grieving. Gimli sat on the foot of the tree at the fringes of a clearing, hood drawn low over his face, shoulders shaking. Nico's heart felt like it had sank into Tartarus. They had lost someone. Anxiety clawed at his heart. _Who? Who had they lost? Thalia? Annabeth? Aragorn? Boromir? Frodo? Merry? Pippin? Sam? _He stopped at the edges, trying to muster up the courage to walk in, to see _who _it was.

Someone gripped his shoulder. Percy. A pained, sorrowful look was in his eyes. Together, they walked slowly into the clearing. Two figures were huddled against a tree on the other end of the clearing. One lay unmoving against the tree, the other was sadly binding the others wounds. Nico's heart leapt when he saw the figures were too large for the hobbits, and they were much too big to be Annabeth or Thalia. Waves of guilt crashed over him for even thinking such a selfish thought. _How could he be so selfish? _

Percy went on ahead of him to the body. The man who had been tending to the other's wounds stood up, revealing himself to be Aragorn. _That meant…Boromir._ Nico truly felt regret at the man's passing. True, he hadn't exactly left a good first impression at the Council, but Nico had grown to know the Man during the journey. He was a good man, a noble man, a brave man. Nico had fought alongside him in Moria. If there was an underworld here, he would surely have gone into Elysium, Nico slumped by a stump to grieve quietly. _Is there anything I can do for him?_

He stood up resolutely, and walked towards the body. Maybe, as he was a child of the dead, he could grant Boromir a peaceful passage to his resting place. Percy and Aragorn parted respectfully for him. He placed a hand onto Boromir's forehead…and everything went black.

=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o

He found himself in a huge, black hall. Nico suddenly had a sense of déjà vu. This palace could be the exact same palace back on earth, in his father's realm. Apparently this was the Middle-Earth version of the underworld. He allowed his gaze to travel to the throne at the end of the hall. There, he saw not one, but two men. The one dressed in black was reclining on the throne, while the one robed in blue stood in front of him, discussing something with him. Nico glanced at Boromir and mouthed the words. _What am I doing here?_

Boromir didn't respond. It was as if he couldn't see him at all. _Must be a vision… Percy gets them all the time, never thought I'd have one, though…_Nico allowed his eyes to roam around the hall. It was creepy, how much this place resembled his father's palace. There was a line of spirits. Men, women, children. Elves, dwarves. Soldiers, commoners, workers, nobles…

One of the differences he noticed was the rich and colorful tapestries all adorning the walls. Curious, he walked towards the wall to examine them. The tapestries seemed to depict many wondrous and strange scenes, all painstakingly embroidered and woven with rich colors and amazing detail. **(Woven by Mandos' wife, **_**Vairë, the weaver. Seen in **__**The Silmarillion **__**and the **__**complete guide to Middle Earth. **__**Much less creepy than Arachne, no?) **_Nico saw what looked like a powerful being _singing _the earth into existence. **(Eru Iluvatar, creator of Middle Earth, as seen in **_**The Silmarillion**_**) ** **(I know this might be a bit hard for people who have only seen the movies or read the three books. I couldn't resist popping in these references to make the story more authentic. But for you people who read everything Tolkien, I hope you these little references :))**He saw the creation of the elves, the arrival of men, dwarves and all the other races. He saw dragons flying in the sky, epic wars being fought, rings being forged. And to his great shock, he saw one of the more recent tapestries. The tapestry depicted a river. Four figures stood in the river, one with arms upraised. The waters of the river were in the form of two hands, smashing into the black shapes of the Ringwraiths while a figure on horseback escaped to the other end of the river. Another tapestry, which was composed almost entirely of black and dark red threads, portrayed Gandalf facing the Balrog at the bridge of Khazad-Dum. Nico stepped back in shock. _How…how..._ he realized it then. These tapestries were woven about the history of Middle Earth… all the history… woven into tapestries in the Hall of Waiting… Briefly, Nico considered asking his father to redecorate his palace. It would be much less gloomier…

The two men seemed to have come to a decision. The one dressed in black stood up straight. Again, Nico could almost imagine it was Hades standing there instead of…this guy. The man's eyes travelled to Boromir. "Boromir, brother of Faramir, son to Denethor and Finduilas. I am Mandos, judge of the dead, master of the dooms. Welcome to the Halls of Waiting."

Boromir bowed low respectfully.

Mandos studied Boromir as if he was something he had seen only rarely.. "Boromir… Man of Gondor. You are…special. You have received wounds that would have killed mortal men, yet you are not dead."

Boromir looked shocked. He took a deep breath and looked at Mandos. "My Lord…?"

Mandos sighed. "Your Númenórean (**a race of men who possessed unusually long life and a hardy constitution. They were especially close to the elves, more so than any other race. If you want their complete history, go pick up a Tolkien book)** ancestry is strong in you… A thread still connects you to your mortal life. You maintain a tenacious hold on it. On this rare occasion, I have convened with Manwe, and my brethren Lorien and Nienna. I now grant you a choice, Númenórean. "

Boromir looked up, hardly daring to hope. Mandos looked at him, face still impassive. "You are not dead, Boromir, yet your spirit has found its way into my halls. You now have a choice, whether to continue into Valinor"- Mandos gestured behind him to a huge set of double doors, where strains of sounds of merriment and joy could be heard-" and so truly die a death of heroes, or… You may return back to your mortal life to continue in your quest. If you choose to return, you will have to face pain, sorrow and despair, yet you may see your task, your mission completed."

Nico couldn't say he was surprised by Boromir's decision, yet there was a fierce surge of joy when he heard Boromir's resolute answer.

Mandos clapped his hands twice. "Very well, Boromir, Man of Gondor. Your choice shall be honored. You are a brave man indeed, and I would not wish to see you back in my halls again too soon." a small smile broke his normally grim face.

Nico grinned and followed Boromir out of the halls.

=o=o=o=o

"He's breathing!"

"What the HADES?!"

"Thanks be to Eru!"

Nico's eyes snapped open. He was lying on a comfortable pile of grass and dry leaves,(sopping wet. Apparently _someone _had tried to wake him up) a short distance away from where the rest of the Fellowship were gawping at Boromir's body, which had apparently decided to reboot his heart and restart breathing again. Boromir groaned and clutched his head. A wide smile split Nico's face, almost making his cheeks hurt. _Boromir is alive!_

Unfortunately, their joy was only to be temporary.

_=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=_

"Annabeth! Annabeth!" Percy's cry of anguish echoed across the river.

Nico had never seen Percy look so heartbroken or distraught. The waters of the river churned agitatedly, responding to the son of Poseidon's mood, and the sky darkened. It was a tragedy, Nico thought, to suffer such heart-wrenching loss right after such a joyful event. Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli had been taken by surprise by this new side of the normally cheerful demigod, and had retreated to a side to give him some privacy. They huddled at the fringes of the forest, packing their supplies and debating weather to go after Frodo or to go to Gondor. Boromir had been very quiet ever since he had returned from the Halls of Waiting, and he hadn't even said anything about going west. Sometimes Nico wondered if something had changed down in the cold, forbidding Halls of Mandos. Boromir certainly had changed. Nico only hoped it was for the better.

Percy stood at the very edge of the river, staring out in the direction of Mordor, still as a statue. Unmoving, silent. For a moment, Nico found himself comparing Percy to the two towering statues above them. Then Percy's legs seemed to give out, and he slumped by a rock. He opened his clenched palm, revealing a crumpled piece of notebook paper. Percy tenderly straightened it, reading and rereading the message written in what Nico recognized as Annabeth's neat Greek. He spotted several tear stains on the paper, both dried and fresh. It seemed that Percy had not been the only heartbroken one…

Nico sighed. This was terrible. The fellowship had truly been broken. Thalia, Merry and Pippin had been captured by orcs, and Annabeth, Sam and Frodo had set off on their own to Mordor. It was just so messed up. Everything was going wrong. What were they going to do? What was Aragorn going to decide? They couldn't stay in here forever. This was horrible. He felt torn in two. On one hand, his friends, the hobbits, and Thalia were captured, and going west. On the other hand, the Ringbearer, whom they had all sworn to protect, had gone east, with Sam and Annabeth. Where should they go? What should they do?

Aragorn stood up. Boromir, too tried to stand, but Legolas held him back. He may be alive, but his wounds were still affecting him. The arrows had hit hard and deep, and though Aragorn had tried his best, Boromir's legs had been crippled and his left arm paralyzed. Aragorn had promised that it would heal, but it would take time, and Boromir could possibly regain only part of three-quarters of his former strength. Hesitantly, Aragorn walked over to Percy and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Percy… we have decided to go West to save Thalia, Merry and Pippin. The ring is beyond our reach now. Would you…join us?"

Percy didn't look up. He simply nodded once. Aragorn nodded towards the remaining Fellowship, and they all stood up. Boromir winced a bit as he put his weight upon his legs, but he gave no other sign of pain or exertion. Nico stood and walked over to Percy, awkwardly putting his hand on the older demigod. "She'll be fine. You'll see her again after this thing is over."

Percy sighed and shouldered his pack. "Enough talking. Let's go." He averted his eyes from the rest of the team, and walked straight ahead. Aragorn's concerned gaze followed him, then he finally motioned to the rest of the Fellowship. "Let's go hunt some orc"

Nico allowed himself a grim smile of expectation and summoned his sword to his hands. He picked up his pack, along with the rest of the Fellowship. Together, they set off West, following the footprints of the orcs. Nico glanced back, where he saw Percy straggling behind. His face was wet. He gripped Percy's hand. Percy wiped a hand across his face, and put on a brave face. He cast one last glance backwards, and ran to the front of the company, beside Aragorn. Nico fell in beside Gimli and Boromir. They were off. They had friends to rescue.

=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o

Merry

Merry lay in a dark and troubled dream. All around him the shadows of the Black Riders rode. Every dark and evil thing he had met on this journey seemed to have come to torment him. The Black Riders from Weathertop shrieked and drew their black blades. The Watcher in the Water lashed out with a deadly web of tentacles. The orcs of Moria taking them down to the dungeon, The Balrog grinned and cracked its whip. Hundreds of orc faces grinned at him from the shadows, hundreds of hideous arms grasped out at him from every side. What was happening?

He woke. Cold air blew on his face. He was lying oh his back. Evening was coming and the sky above was growing dim. He turned and found that the dream was little worse than the waking. His wrists, legs and ankles were tied with cords, beside him Pippin lay, white faced, with a dirty rag bound across his brows, and to his other side lay Thalia, furiously struggling with her ropes, eyes blazing with defiance. All about them sat or stood a great company of orcs.

Slowly in Merry's aching head, memory pieced itself together and became separated from dream shadows. Of course; he and Pippin had tried to lure the orcs away from Frodo. the plan had worked too well, bringing a whole contingent of orcs on them. He remembered managing to score some of them with his elven blade, which made them retreat, hissing with anger as if they had been burned by the mere touch of the steel. But there had been too many for two hobbits to fight, they gave the fight up as for lost.

Then Boromir had come leaping through the trees. He had made them fight hard. He slew dozens of them, but he had only a sword, and there was a huge orc with a bow, raining arrows on Boromir. Boromir blew his great horn until the woods rang, and at first the orcs had been dismayed and drawn back; but when no answer but the echoes came, they had attacked more fiercely than ever. Merry couldn't remember much more. His last memories were of Boromir still fighting with three arrows embedded in him, then finally collapsing against a tree. He remembered Thalia running through the forest, firing silver arrows of her own and calling down great flashes of lightning, but finally being overpowered and bound. He remembered Pippin and his last desperate charge, waving their knives wildly, and slaying one or two orcs each; then darkness fell suddenly.

_Where are we? Where are we going? Will Strider and the Company come after us? Wouldn't that mess up all the plans? Oh, I wish could get free!_

The orcs conversed among themselves, somehow managing to mangle the common speech so much it now sounded like their own foul, guttural speech. The situation was made all the more dark , as it was a dark, moonless night. Merry could only see the bare outlines of the orcs, and hearing those guttural words made his hair stand up on end and curled his blood. Suddenly, at a command from one of the biggest orcs, they rose, pulling Merry's tired body up with the other prisoners, and forced to run.

_Crack! _

"March faster, yer good fer nuthin prisoners!" Snarled the orc leader, cracking his whip for good measure. When Merry didn't speed up enough to please him, there was another sharp crack and a line of pain shot up his ankles. He stifled a yelp of pain and tried to will his tired, sore feet to move faster. He was tired, he was so tired. They had been marching at a relentless pace for almost a day now, without any stops. His feet ached, and his head throbbed with all the confusion. Evil dreams and evil waking were blended into a long tunnel of misery, with hope growing ever fainter behind. They ran, and they ran, striving to keep up the pace set by the orcs, licked every now and again with a cruel thong cunningly handled, if they halted or stumbled, they were seized roughly and dragged for a distance. He couldn't hear anything except for the rhythmic tramping of orc feet. Everything was a blur of harsh yells and tramping feet in the dark.. He could only continue putting a foot in front of the other. Again, again and again. It was a total nightmare. He staggered along, pulled by Thalia, who was grimly trudging on ahead, in his turn pulling Pippin, who was almost half-passed out from everything. They were helpless. He had been disarmed immediately after his capture, the orc cursing and dropping the blade as soon as he had picked them up. And even if he still had his weapons, even if by some amazing chance, they had an opportunity to escape, Merry doubted he could make it. not in this state. Tired, hungry and despairing. He was helpless. It seemed the only one of them who still retained hope was Thalia. There was still fire in her eyes, but would that be enough? _They _were helpless. Helpless in the hands of the orcs.

His foot tripped over a rock, causing him to stumble a bit. His shoulders were grabbed and pushed forward roughly, nearly knocking Thalia over. Suddenly, a bright golden gleam shone in the corners of his eyes. Hopefully, he turned his head to the source. Far out on the horizon, beyond the dark, dreary plains, a bright sliver of sunlight pierced the darkness. A tiny seed of hope took root in his heart. Maybe now that they could actually see where they were going, they might be able to leave some sort of clue for the Fellowship when they came to rescue them! _If _they came at all. Some of the orcs grumbled and cursed when they saw the sun rising, squinting at the bright daylight. Now that there was more light to see by, he saw that the orcs actually looked very different from each other. Half of the orcs were like the ones he had fought in Moria. Big, ugly, stinky brutes. Their shields were emblazoned with a single fiery eye. The other half looked bigger, stronger too. These orcs didn't seem to fear the daylight. They had a mark on their foreheads like a white hand had grabbed them and branded them. Their shields carried the design of a white hand. As he watched, the leaders of both groups started to argue heatedly with each other.

"Stop!" The orc leading the tribe with the design of the fiery eye yelled.

Merry was dimly aware of voices clamoring. Most of the orcs were demanding a halt now. The leader of the tribe of the white hand, a large black orc, was yelling angrily. "What's the meaning of this now, you lazy northern rats?"

The leader of the other tribe, a short, crooked-legged creature, with arms that hung almost to the ground strode over. "Now see here, Ugluk. Its daylight now. Orcs don't run in the sunlight. I, Grishnakh, say this. Saruman is a fool, and the Great Eye is on him.'

Ugluk stepped closer to him and growled. "You'll run with me behind you, all right. We must stick with each other, even though I don't trust you little swine one bit." He spat. "This is Horse-Country. This land is dangerous, and you have no guts. We are the fighting Uruk-Hai! We are the servants of Saruman the Wise, the White Hand; the Hand that gives us man-flesh to eat. We came out of Isengard, and led you here, and we shall lead you back the way I choose." He snarled at Grishnakh. Merry watched the conflict, half afraid, half hopeful that they were arguing so much. He had heard orcs were of a particularly bad temperament, and rival tribes often killed each other in their arguments. Maybe this could work in their favor…

Grishnakh spat. "Is Saruman the master or the Great Eye? We are going North to Lugburz. One of the Nazgul awaits us there."

Ugluk stepped forward until he was literally staring Grishnakh in the face. Some of the smaller orcs approached Ugluk, knives and swords drawn, but they hesitated to attack the larger orc. Merry supposed they must be the Northern orcs, the orcs of Mordor. Ugluk barked a harsh command, and without warning, two Uruk Hai his size ran up, and with two swift strokes beheaded two of the northern orcs. There was a huge commotion and scuffle, in which the guards too ran to join the fray. Thalia instantly rolled up to Merry and started sawing his bonds with her knife. Evidently, she had been working on her bonds the whole journey, and had managed to reach her knife while the orcs had been arguing. After she had successfully sawed through his bonds, Merry snatched up the knife and cut her ropes too.

"Now stay quiet. I'm going to tie you up again in a slipknot so the orcs won't notice. It'll be ok. One quick tug and the knot will fall apart. Is that clear?" Thalia whispered urgently in his ear. Merry nodded vigorously, then watched as Thalia went over to Pippin.

Unfortunately, Thalia didn't get the chance to untie Pippin, as the orcs seemed to have resolved their quarrel. The Isengarders had slain nearly five of the Mordor orcs, forcing Grishnakh to submit. Thalia barely managed to loop the cords around her wrists to give the impression of still being bound before they were grabbed and made to stand. Hot, burning orc liquor was forced down their throats, replicating on a small scale what _lembas _could do to a weary traveler and lending them temporary bursts of strength. Ugluk sounded a blast on his horn, and the orcs started running again. Suddenly, Pippin broke free from the troop and stumbled a short distance away. Two orcs immediately went after him and dragged him back, giving him vicious slaps and kicks in punishment. But when he was pushed behind Merry again, Merry noticed that the elven clasp that the elves had given him was gone. When Merry was able to risk a short glance back, something glinted in the mud.

Once during the running, Ugluk had glanced back, sniffing the air. His lip curled in disgust. "Man flesh. There are men and elves following us." He cracked his whip harder. "Faster! You lazy rats! Run as if the Nazgul themselves are after you!" The orcs stepped up their pace, the threat hanging over their heads. Merry hadn't thought it possible to run any faster, but he was forced to when a whip thong curled around his thigh, biting into his skin. He gave a yelp and ran faster. Any joy he may had had upon hearing that men were near was extinguished by the new pace.

The next night, Merry and Pippin collapsed in an exhausted heap on the floor at the very edge of a huge, dense forest. they were weary to the core. The orc liquor had long since wore off, and Merry could only remember the relentless pounding of feet on the ground, over vast distances, too far to count. His legs ached. Everything hurt. He had never done as much running before in his entire life! He lay crumpled on the hard floor beside Pippin as the orcs rested for a few hours from the strenuous day's running. Thalia managed to sneak a square of that goldish stuff that only demigods were able to eat while the orcs weren't looking, and looked better already. She crawled over to Merry and snuck a bit of _lembas _into his palm and Pippin's, giving them both an encouraging smile. "Don't worry. We'll make it out of here. Eat this, and be ready to run."

The orcs seemed to be having an argument again. This time, the subject was on food.

"I'm starvin! We aint 'ad nuthin but maggoty bread fer three stinkin' days!" yelled one of the orcs.

"Yeah, why can't we have some meat?" asked another rat-like orc. His eyes alighted on Merry hungrily. "What about them? They're fresh!" Merry gulped, and he heard Pippin whimper in fear. Were they going to be eaten?

Ugluk glared at them. "They're not for eating. Masters orders."

Grishnakh spoke up. "What about their legs? They don't need those! Ooh, they look tasty!"

Ugluk shoved him back, hard. "Get back, scum!"

The other orcs seemed to be getting restless. There was a lot of muttering in their foul tongues and blades were unsheathed. "Carve them up!" yelled one of the Mordor orcs.

The rat-like one moved towards Pippin slowly, reaching out with his blade drawn. "just a mouthful…" he said, saliva dripping from his mouth. Thalia gripped Pippin and Merry's hands tightly and shoved them behind her. Merry saw the knife hidden in Thalia's hands. Thalia tensed, ready to jerk the knot free and defend the hobbits. Merry was terrified.

Thalia whispered."When I give the signal, run for the forest and climb a tree as fast as you can. Any tree."

But before any of them could do anything, Ugluk drew his blade and lopped of the other orc's head. the head rolled towards the rest of the orcs as the body crumpled to the floor. Ugluk gave a nasty grin. "Looks like meat's back on the menu, boys!"

The rest of the orcs instantly flew to the dead body and began ripping at it with gusto, apparently not caring that the orc had been one of them. Bloody bits and pieces flew in the air. For now, the prisoners had been forgotten. Merry took the opportunity to take Thalia's knife and slice through Pippin's ropes. The two terrified hobbits clutched at each other, hoping just to be able to survive. Thalia bent over and whispered to them. "Go now. Quietly, while they're distracted."

Unfortunately, one of the orcs, who had apparently been unable to get a bite of the dead orc spotted them sneaking away, and gave a loud yell. "The prisoners!"

No one took any notice, except for one. Grishnakh perked up at once and ran towards them, shoving the orc aside. His blade glinted in moonlight. Before Merry or Pippin could do anything more than squeal in terror, he pounced on them, knocking Merry facedown into the ground and brandishing his wickedly-curved blade in Pippin's face, "Go on, call for help! Squeal! No one can save you now!"

Merry couldn't see anything. His face was right in the ground, among the gravel. His heartbeat pounded as fast as a rabbit's. A heavy, rough knee was planted on his back. Pippin was screaming in terror. Grishnakh was cackling madly, obviously enjoying the hobbits' terror. Blind and unable to do anything more that scream in terror, Merry did just that.

He screamed.

=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=

Frodo

Frodo surveyed the bleak landscape in front of him and sighed. Around them, sheer, rock cliffs rose high. Treacherous fissures pockmarked the ground. Broken highlands stretched for miles. Emyn Muil seemed like a never ending series of tall, unscalable cliffs and deep valleys. There seemed to be no way across those mountains that blocked the entrance into Mordor.. As the small company continued walking, they gathered their elven cloaks around them to shield them from unfriendly eyes. the whole atmosphere was one of fear and foreboding. His hand often rested on the hilt of his sword Sting sheathed by his belt. His eyes repeatedly jumped from the dreary brown landscape to the blade, dreading the faint blue glow that would signify danger and doom. They had already come across a small party of orcs running west, perhaps to join the other orcs at Amon Hen. Annabeth, Sam and himself had been warned by Sting's blue glow, and managed to duck behind some tall rocks, their cloaks shielding them from view. It had been a rattling experience for the hobbits, but Annabeth took it in stride, as if she had gone through something like this before. He was tired. Almost of its own will, his hand crept up to his neck where _it _dangled from a chain. With a strong mental effort, he forced the stray hand to remain still. It was steadily getting harder each day as every day, they walked closer to Mordor. Every step took them one step closer to their salvation…or their doom

Behind him, Sam plodded along slowly, also on high alert. Frodo was glad, oh so glad, that his best friend had come along, but he also berated himself repeatedly for being so selfish. How could he drag his loyal friend to his possible death and doom? He shook his head to clear those unwelcome thoughts. The decision had been made now. Anyway, there was no turning back, even if he had wanted to.

Strangely, even though they seemed to have been walking for hours, Frodo noticed that the rocky formations around them never seemed to change. They didn't seem to be making any progress at all. After an hour or two of trekking, Annabeth called a halt, and they sank down to the rock floor, thankful for a rest. Sam surveyed all the rocks, boulders and broken hills around them, munching on a cake of the elven bread _lembas_. "Well… this looks strangely familiar…"

Annabeth gave a laugh that was both exasperated and amused. "That's because we've been here before. Look." She pointed to a cleft in the hills, where there was an α cut into the rock with rough scratches. "We've been going around in circles."

Frodo managed a small chuckle. "Let's face it. We're lost."

Sam nodded regretfully, then gazed across the broken highlands, where in the far distance, at the edge of the oncoming night, a dark line hung, like distant mountains of motionless smoke. Every now and again a tiny red gleam far away flickered upwards on the rim of earth and sky. Frodo felt a deep sense of foreboding as he gazed upon that black peak. Sam took a bite of the _lembas, _chewed, and swallowed. "It's ironic, isn't it?"

Annabeth raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "What is?"

Sam gave a short laugh. "All my life, I've dreamed of going out of the Shire and exploring new lands. I would look at a map of Middle Earth and wonder what lies in those cities on the map. Now…" He gazed at the mountains in the distance again. "The one place in Middle Earth I don't want to see any closer, is just the one place we're trying to get to."

Annabeth nodded thoughtfully. Frodo finished his cake and brushed the crumbs off his tunic. "What food have we got left?" He asked Sam.

Sam rummaged through their packs. "Let's see." He came up with another package of _lembas. "_Oh, lovely, _lembas _bread." He dug deeper into the pack. "And look! More lembas bread." He produced another package and sighed.

Annabeth chuckled and dug around in her own backpack. "I've got my laptop, those books, some jars of Greek Fire, a packet of ambrosia, a couple jars of nectar, lots of odds and ends, and… oh joy! more _lembas_ bread."They all shared a tired laugh at that. Annabeth then repacked her bag and stood up. "Well, we'd best be on our way. I've been studying the landscape, and I think I have figured out a new route."

And so they had continued trekking through the hills. Once or twice, they had to use Sam's elven rope, which was surprisingly long (almost thirty ells!) and light considering how small the coil had seemed to be at first glance, to scrabble their way down treacherous slopes or climb a couple cliffs. Frodo almost broke his neck twice sliding down those sheer slopes. The rope had another amazing magical property, in which it would hold even the weight of two hobbits and one girl without breaking or coming free, but it would unknot itself from whatever it had been attached to whenever Sam tugged gently on the rope. That allowed the rope to be reused multiple times instead of being left hanging from the top of a cliff.

Slowly but steadily, they began making progress Eastwards. Somewhere during the journey, Frodo began to get the feeling of being followed. No, it wasn't because Sam was behind him. it was something else, an unknown presence. Frodo shuddered. The closer they got to Mordor, the more creatures of the night there would be. A hiss startled him. He turned around with a yelp, whipping out Sting in an instant, but there was only Sam behind him, who abruptly jumped and started backwards, seeing the knife pointed at him. Frodo's heartbeat seemed to have skyrocketed. _What was that?_ He gripped Sting in his hand. In an instant, Annabeth appeared next to him, her knife out too. "What is it?"

Frodo eyed the cliffs surrounding them, noting the huge number of potential hiding places for enemies. He observed Sting's blade again, but the blade was still it's normal, shimmering silver. "Something startled me, but I don't see anything. It may have been just my nerves." He whispered to Annabeth. somehow, none of them were comfortable in speaking in anything louder than a whisper here.

Frodo's sharp ears caught another sound. The sound of a foot striking a rock, and a muffled curse that followed. Instantly, he whirled backwards, frantically searching for the source of the sound. Sam similarly drew his knife and stood guard. Someone was following them, Frodo was certain of it. It wasn't an orc, as his blade wasn't glowing, but then again, not all the servants and chattels of Mordor were orcs.

=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=

As the day wore on, Frodo's nerves were on high alert. The leather grip of Sting felt like it had been permanently attached to his hands. Every scrape, every little noise caused him to jump. When night fell and it was time to sleep, he couldn't. How could he sleep in a place like this? And he was now very sure that they were being followed. Not by one creature, but by two, maybe more. All day long, whenever they turned a corner, he would glance sharply back, and once or twice, he had caught sight of something ducking into the shelter of a nearby rock. Annabeth had obviously seen it too, by the way her expression had tightened and turned grim. She had led them on another twisting, roundabout route in an effort to lose the shadowy followers, and while it had been extremely tiring, it seemed to have worked for a while. At least, Frodo and Sam had not seen or met anything unfriendly yet. There had been a few encounters with some stray orcs, but where they had not been able to conceal themselves in time, they orcs had been quickly and efficiently dispatched by Sting and Annabeth's dagger. Sam's saucepan had also proved surprisingly handy in knocking out the unsuspecting orcs. It had been an extremely trying day, both physically and mentally.

Now, Frodo and Annabeth huddled around the flickering light of the small fire Sam had built. Sam was snoring peacefully in his bedroll, finding solace from the fears and anxieties of the day in sleep, if only for a little while. The fire was a risk, to be sure. Nothing draws enemies better than a spire of smoke rising in the air, but Frodo and Annabeth had agreed that they needed the warmth. Besides, if the thing following them was a wild beast or something like that, the fire may even serve to scare it away. Annabeth and Sam together had managed to find the driest pieces of wood around, and Sam had coaxed a small flame using his tinderbox. It was comforting to see the firelight flicker over their small campsite, just like the fire back in Bag End, like the many places they had camped in on their long journey when the Fellowship had still been together. Happier times.

"Though…through…the journey…I may…lie…" Frodo looked up. Annabeth was holding a book in her hand, the other hand writing the translation on a piece of parchment. Frodo chuckled a bit to see Annabeth poring over the elvish runes in the book from the elves. _Was now really the time?_ He walked over to her side, smiling, and looked at the poem she was painstakingly deciphering.

"Oh! I know this one!" Frodo smiled. "Bilbo translated this one for me a few months ago, in the house of Elrond. He told me it was a nice verse in these dark times, and I agreed. I had already committed it to memory." his smile turned wistful. "Oh, how I wish I could see him again…"

Annabeth looked at him expectantly. "Well? Read it out! I want to hear how it goes!"

Frodo closed his eyes, bringing the verse back to the front of his mind, and recited. "

_Though through the journey I may lie_

_In darkness buried deep,_

_Beyond all towers strong and high,_

_Beyond all mountains steep,_

_Above all shadows rides the Sun,_

_And Stars forever dwell,_

_I will not say the Day is done,_

_Or bid the Stars farewell.,_

Annabeth closed her eyes and sighed happily. "That's a beautiful poem. The elves are really master poets. A certain god of poetry could learn from them." Frodo raised an eyebrow at her, but she just laughed it off.

Frodo looked over the horizon, to that lone mountain again. This time, he looked above the mountain, and he saw the stars shining in the night sky, twinkling as brilliantly as they had done ever since Eru Iluvatar had placed them in the sky, and he smiled. "'_Above all shadows rides the sun, and stars forever dwell. I will not say the day is done, or bid the stars farewell.'_" He turned back to Annabeth. "Thank you for reminding me of that poem, Annabeth. I needed that."

Annabeth laughed. "The pleasure was all mine." She suddenly let out a huge yawn. "Oh, I suddenly feel so tired." She let out a tired laugh.

Frodo unsheathed Sting. "Why don't you rest now. I'll take first watch."

Annabeth yawned again, and nodded gratefully, too tired to argue. "Thanks, Frodo. wake me if there's any trouble. I'm a light sleeper, unlike Seaweed Brain." Her gaze turned sad for a while, then she sighed and got into her bedroll. "Goodnight, Frodo."

"Goodnight, Annabeth."

=o=o=o=o=o=o=o

Hours passed. All was quiet. The moon rose in the sky, casting a pale white glow and turning everything silver and white. The sleeping forms of Sam and Annabeth rose and fell with their breathing. All was calm. The moon shone clear in the sky, the stars glittered and twinkled in the huge black expanse. But it soon went behind a cloud, and all was dark again. A movement, a sound. Pebbles and loose rocks rattled as something moved towards him. Suddenly, Frodo gasped with fear, and his throat went dry. Sting was out in an instant as he scrabbled backwards frantically. The creature had found them. Two green, lamplight eyes shone out of the darkness, filled with murderous intent. Long, thin, bony arms stretched out towards him.

"Die, Bagginses!Kill the nasssty thief!"

**=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=o=**

**Cue epic Lord of the Rings music as the credits scroll up. Nah, just kidding. :P**

**I hope you enjoyed that!**

**Anyway, some really epic news. My family is going on a visit to the UK! We are going to tour Cambridge, London and a bunch of other places in the month of October. I am sooooo excited! I wonder if I would meet any of my readers in the UK there… that would certainly be an interesting experience. I am very much looking forward to it. Give a shout if you're from England!**

**Until next time. I would love to promise that I wouldn't take this long to update next time, but I'm afraid of breaking it, so I'll just promise to update 'soon'. Don't worry. It won't be a month this time. **

**Remember to review! Thanks again to all those who have reviewed, and those who **_**will**_** review!**

**PJcrazy signing out.**


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